


Always and Forever

by Mickey_D



Series: Forever and a Yoga Mat [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Courtroom Drama, Crime Fighting, F/M, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscarriage, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Social Justice, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-17 01:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1368136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mickey_D/pseuds/Mickey_D
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn Malik almost mated with some girl. Doniya was not by any means supportive of this, and was the first to say "I told you so" when the girl left Zayn. Zayn became the recluse he usually was when he was nursing hurt feelings until Doniya forced him on a date with one of her co-workers. She swore that Zayn would just love him, but Zayn was skeptical. Why did he have to be with someone? Couldn't he just be alone? The constant self-pity and derision for his mystery date abandons Zayn when Liam Payne walks in the restaurant. Zayn stands speechless as Liam is directed to their table. Liam has to be the most beautiful creature Zayn has ever seen in his entire life. All shy and quiet, Liam takes his seat and doesn't start talking until Zayn starts asking questions because they can't sit in silence, can they?</p><p>The two eventually become mates which surprises no one and Zayn doesn't waste any time in knocking up Liam. (His alpha ego swells a bit when Liam starts to show.) Reluctantly, though, Zayn has to go on a retreat with a few of his colleagues and while he's away, something awful happens that no one expected. Though Liam resists it, Zayn gets the authorities involved so he doesn't go on a vigilante justice spree.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Blind Date

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first, only-available-on AO3 story. It will be updated intermittently because I just finished a massive 22-month project and am currently supposed to be creatively recouping. Ha. Ha. Me take a break from writing? Never. But as far as my friends know, I'm locked in my creative closet and not coming out with a new story for some time.
> 
> I'm trying out Alpha/Beta/Omega things...let me know how I'm doing. I always appreciate comments, even if they are "This probably isn't your strong suit." Also, the more kudos/comments I get, the more I'll want to write more with these guys. 
> 
> Welcome and enjoy!

Zayn grumbled to himself as he pulled on a pair of dark jeans. He was not particularly happy about basically being forced to go on a date with some guy Doniya knew. His sister seemed to think that he should be able to get over Amanda like he hadn't almost mated her; like she hadn't basically walked out on him for some _beta_. Zayn's skin still prickled at the idea. What did the beta have that he, an alpha, didn't? With a particularly hard yank, Zayn pulled the green sweater he was going to wear on this date over his head. Even though he didn't want to go, he still wanted to make a good impression, so he spent a good ten minutes on his hair, making sure it looked messy but not rolled-out-of-bed-for-the-first-time-in-months messy. He hadn't spent months in bed, but he hadn't exactly left his apartment for proper social interaction. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he really hadn't left his apartment. The store down the street delivered groceries, and Zayn was an English teacher on summer vacation. He truly hadn't left the apartment in months. Grimacing in the mirror as he tried to smile, Zayn left his room to search for his keys. The last time he'd used them was when Doniya asked him to come over and watch her kids while she and her husband went out for the weekend. (So he had left the apartment in the past months, though maybe babysitting his nieces and nephews shouldn't count as his major social interactions.) When he'd gotten home, he'd put the keys on the counter next to the stove. Zayn walked into his kitchen that was littered with take-out containers (some still had food), piles of unopened mail, empty paint bottles, and dirty dishes. Hopefully this date would go poorly, and he wouldn't have to clean up. Moving a few unopened letters from donors, Zayn found his keys right where he'd left them. "That's a first," he muttered to himself. He pulled his wallet from the drawer just below the toaster and grabbed his coat from the rack by the door before heading down to his car. 

Doniya had organized the whole thing, which was probably a small reason why Zayn was so irritated. She knew he liked to be in control of things, so doing this date-planning behind his back had taken all the control he usually went into a date having away. How did he know this was a decent restauraunt? How did he know this was a decent guy to take out? Sure, Doniya had told him his name and a few things about him, but it wasn't enough for Zayn. Going in blind left him restless and quick to be defensive. Already he'd almost punched his car when the lock wouldn't obey his key on the first try. Zayn frowned as he thought of the tiny scene he'd put on in the parking lot: muttering at his car and gesticulating wildly with his keys. Maybe he should try to relax before he went inside to eat. He may not want to go, but he didn't want to scare the poor guy who was probably under the impression Zayn was a chilled, laid-back individual who taught and painted for a living. Zayn sighed, resigning himself to being nice for the night. His sister's words,  _Keep an open mind_ , ran through his head. She was right; if he wanted this to go well (and deep down he thought he did; he didn't want to be alone) he needed to be open to this new kid. As Zayn pulled up to the restaurant, he smiled. Doniya had been the one to give him directions, and he'd been too mad and lazy to check them out, so she'd taken him in a wide circle only to end up at the restaurant down the block from his apartment. The owner and his mate lived down the hall from Zayn and had brought him food and a little company on occasion. In hindsight, Zayn should have recognized the name of the place, but he'd been too irritated to think rationally. Many of the patrons walked here, so Zayn felt silly parking, but it was easy enough and soon he was inside with a loud greeting from the owner's mate. "Hey Zayn!"

Zayn raised a hand with a small smile, "Hey there, Lou. How are you?"

Lou-a general nickname used instead of his full name Louis-scratched his head as he thought up an answer to Zayn's question. "I'm actually doing quite well, even though Harry dragged me to his parents house. It's not that I don't like the people-they're actually quite lovely-it's just the long drive that gets me. I know Harry drives faster than that, but with me in the car he keeps it to five over the speed limit at all times, even when there aren't any cars around us. It's a three hour drive!" Louis chattered as he grabbed two menus and led Zayn to a table near the back. "Doniya told Harry and I everything. I'm so excited. She told us a lot about this guy, and he seems great. I'm sure you'll like him."

Zayn looked a bit hopeful as Louis paused to let him say something, "Can you tell me about him?"

Louis looked panicked for a moment, but shook his head. "Doniya made me promise not to tell you anything."

Zayn sighed again. He knew he could make Louis tell him exactly what Doniya had said easily, but he was not one to take advantage. "Thanks, Lou. Can I have a beer or something while I wait?"

"Of course," Louis chirped.

Zayn watched the bouncy omega flounce into the kitchen to retrieve his drink. Harry poked his head out of the kitchen door after a few moments and sent a quick wave Zayn's way. Zayn returned the greeting even though Harry had already disappeared into the kitchen. His drink appeared and Louis was away again faster than Zayn could register the two events happening, but that's just how Louis was. Everything was a whirlwind with him. A sudden exclamation from the front door had most of the people in the restaurant jumping in their seats a bit. Louis was also very loud, but the sound was so garbled Zayn wasn't sure what it was about this time. That is until Louis started walking to his table with a boy who was staring at the ground behind him. Zayn tried to see around Louis, but whoever was behind him was trying very hard not to be seen. "Here he is," Louis whispered loudly as he stepped aside for the boy behind him to move forward and take the empty seat before Zayn. Zayn was already sitting when he saw the boy, so his knees couldn't go weak at the sight. Instead, they immediately straightened and had him standing before he was even conscious he was doing it. The scrape of the chair against the floor had Louis smirking and the boy hesitantly glancing up. "I'll leave you to it then," Louis drawled as he sashayed away. 

"Here, have a seat," Zayn said moving quickly to pull out the chair for the boy.

Zayn's date moved slowly to the seat, scooting in before Zayn could push him in. Zayn sank into his chair, unable to take his eyes off his date. He was utterly gorgeous. Brown hair shaved close on the sides and swept gently up on top of his head. There was a little stubble on his jaw, but that was all Zayn could see of his face because the boy kept his head down, his eyes trained on the white table cloth. The rest of his body was impressive: lean muscles, nice clothes, and a scent that would give Zayn a heart attack if it ever got stronger. Zayn really wanted to see the rest of his face, so he tried out his name, "Liam?"

His date looked up from the table and Zayn had the wind knocked out of him anew. Dark brown eyes that were the proverbial "window to the soul". Zayn, as cliched as it sounds, couldn't look away even though there was a lot for him to handle with just the eyes, but he managed and took in the rest of his features: his face was strong, his mouth nothing more than a line that quirked up slightly as Zayn looked him over. "Yes?"

Zayn barely registered that Liam had talked he was so entranced by his face, but as Liam looked at him for an answer, he said, "Hi." Internally he grimaced; that was lame.

But it made Liam smile a bit more, so nevermind it being lame. "Hi," Liam returned. "Zayn, right?"

"Yep," Zayn answered popping the "p". 

The two of them fall into silence, and then Louis was there with an evil grin on his face asking, "Liam, what can I get you to drink, and do you guys know what you want to eat?"

Both of them blushed because they hadn't even thought of ordering food. "Give us a minute, Lou," Zayn said as he picked up his menu. Liam asked for a water before Louis disappeared. Liam picked up his own menu and began looking over it, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the multitude of choices. The menu was five pages long, each of the pages filled by lots of words that were hard to read in the relatively low lighting of the place. Liam's head started to spin, but he didn't say anything; he didn't want to look stupid in front of Zayn. 

"Do you know what you want?" Zayn asked, his voice a very different tone than the one he used with Louis. 

"N-no. This menu is massive," Liam murmured.

Zayn smiled. "Have you never been here before?" Liam shook his head, though Zayn could only see the top of his head above the menu. Zayn pulled the menu down so it lay flat on the table between them. "It's not massive if you understand how it works. Let me show you," Zayn said. He began explaining how it worked. Two pages were dedicated to lunch, which was only served from eleven to five. The next two pages were for dinner. The last page was split between deserts and drink choices. Liam was able to work with only two pages of choices much easier than five pages of choices. When Louis returned with Liam's water, they were ready to order. 

"So what do you do?" Zayn asked when it became apparent Liam wasn't going to talk unless prompted.

Liam took a sip of water before answering. "I work with Doniya. I'm sort of like a secretary I guess."

Zayn chose to ignore the images Liam saying he was a scretary prompted. "I'm a teacher, but I do a bit of painting on the side."

"Are you any good?" Liam asked.

"At painting or at teaching?"

"Painting," Liam clarified, lowering his eyes to the table once again. 

"I have a couple people who donate money to me when they see my stuff in the gallery I work at. They think I'm good. I guess I am." Zayn caught the smile on Liam's face before Louis returned with their food. "That was fast, Lou."

"Well, Harry already knew what you were going to order, so he had it started when you walked in, and Liam's choice wasn't too hard, so you got your food quickly," Louis explained. "Enjoy!" Louis sang as he bounced away. 

Zayn chuckled to himself as he began to eat slowly. Liam poked at his food for a bit before taking a cautionary nibble. Zayn was dying to know why Liam was so cautionary, but he wanted Liam to be absolutely comfortable and prying into his emotional life didn't seem like the best way to go about it. 

"It's an interesting name for a restauraunt," Liam said quietly.

"What is?" Zayn asked unsure of what Liam was exactly talking about.

" _Tommo's_ is an interesting name for a restaraunt. And Harry owns it right? How does  _Tommo's_ have anything to do with Harry?"

"Louis is Harry's, and, before they were mated Louis' last name was Tomlinson and people called him 'Tommo'. Louis was the big pusher of the restaurant idea and so Harry named it for him."

Liam smiled as he digested the story. "That's sweet. Are you three close?"

Zayn shrugged. "Yeah. We're neighbors. My sister gave me directions without telling me the name of the place or anything, so I could have walked, but she had me drive in a circle to get here. I guess she wanted me to be comfortable since this is the first time I've been properly out of my apartment since..." Zayn trailed off realizing he was about to delve into the Amanda drama and Liam probably didn't want to hear about an ex-girlfriend. 

"Since what?"

Zayn grimaced. "It's not anything important."

Liam frowned at that, but took a bite of food instead of asking. Zayn made him nervous; all alphas did, but he actually liked Zayn and that made him even more anxious. He remembered what Niall told him:  _If he tries anything, you call me and I'll take care of it._ Niall's statement and been joined by an affirmative nod by his beta girl and Liam had left. He hadn't had any bad experiences with alphas or anything like that, but it wasn't bad to be careful. Niall's words had done little to calm him. He'd had a friend...Liam banished the thought; he didn't want to be thinking bad things. Think good things: Zayn's hair looked soft, his lips looked inviting, his arms looked strong, his whole body looked strong. Liam's mind now began wandering down another path, almost equally unappealing. He took another bite of food. This food was good. Harry was a great cook. He'd have to tell Zayn to tell Harry that he really enjoyed his meal. 

"How's your food?"

Liam looked up, cheeks reddening as he was forced to chew and swallow under Zayn's gaze. "It's good," he said after he'd chased his food with a sip of water. "You'll have to tell Harry." 

"Well he certainly won't be satisfied with 'good'. He'll need to know it was a life-altering meal, and he'll need to know it from you. Word of mouth is wholly unsatisfying for the boy. He'll also probably ask you about the chicken. He's been trying out a new recipe."

 "How do I tell him? I don't know him."

Zayn smiled and waved Louis over. "Will you ask if the chef can spare a couple of moments? Liam has something to say to him."

Louis nodded, left them, and returned with a bemused Harry behind him. "Yes?" Harry asked, his full attention on Liam. 

Zayn's date squirmed under Harry's intense gaze. Zayn murmured his encouragement. "This is really good," Liam said motioning to his food.

"Good?" Harry asked. He glanced quickly at Zayn with a smile before he asked Liam another questioin, "What exactly do you like about it?"

"Um...the dressing is delicious and the chicken is...life-altering."

Harry and Zayn shared another look before Harry said, "Well thank you. Glad to have supplied 'life-altering' chicken." Harry almost patted Liam on the shoulder, but Zayn let out a warning growl that shocked everyone at the table. Harry smiled knowingly. "Watch yourself, Liam. Zayn's a possessive bastard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I said I was going to write this behind my friends' back, but of course I have to be a chatterbox and ruin the whole secret. They made me promise, pinky promise, that I wouldn't write until May like I originally said. I can't break a pinky promise no matter how badly I want to. The guilt would kill me. Maybe I take them too seriously...
> 
> So, pretty please understand...I haven't abandoned these characters. I love 'em too much already. It's going to be good, and if you're patient, you'll be rewarded :)
> 
> Also, who's your favorite villain? Like, favorite villain from anything...


	2. Life-Altering Chicken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha. Ha. Ha. So remember how I said I pinky promised...yeah. That's falling through, but y'all can keep a secret right? Thank you for the kudos and comment on the previous chapter. Meant a lot and made me want to write, so if my friends come after me, I blame you.

It really was life-altering chicken. Barely a month after their first date, Liam was dragging a box up the front steps, through the door, and to the elevator of Zayn's apartment building. Zayn had insisted that he, Liam, didn't need to help, but Liam refused that. Zayn was currently dropping a couple of boxes (which he carried at the same time to show off for Liam) in the apartment. They were expecting Niall and his beta to come and help, but Niall had called a couple minutes ago and said he was picking up lunch and was asking what they wanted. Niall was probably having a hard time deciding what he wanted which was why he was taking so long. Liam, his patience running thin, jammed the call button again, huffing when nothing immediately happened. When the elevator doors finally did open, Harry and Zayn were laughing their way out. Harry was the first to notice Liam, and he immediately pinched his cheeks and cooed at him. Liam recoiled from the surprise touch and nervously glanced at Zayn. Even though they weren't fully mated, they'd barely spent any time apart and Liam despised anyone else's touch. "Come off it, Harry," Zayn said as he pushed Harry past Liam. Liam used his feet to push the box into the elevator earning him a, "Are you sure you don't want any help, babe?" from Zayn, a repeated question that Liam had stopped answering.

Liam hummed to himself as he rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. There wasn't any elevator music, so the Liam made the tune up as he rode the elevator. He let out a tired sigh as the elevator doors opened and he began pushing the box out. He didn't recall having so many things. He'd been living with Niall and his beta for a couple years. Liam had felt too old to live with his parents, but he was too scared to live alone, so living with his best friend Niall was his next best option. He knew he'd probably be just fine living on his own, but one could never be too careful. Since he was living with two other people, he'd put most of the belongings he brought with him from his parent's house in storage. Now he was wondering why he hadn't just sold it all. Box out of the elevator, Liam crouched to pick it up as his mind wandered back to where Niall was with lunch, but he was too tired and hungry to be able to lift it properly. Maybe he could just push it. This made him whine. He was never one to easily accept the fact that, as an omega, he couldn't keep up with the two-soon to be three-alphas. Liam sat down just outside the elevator. He would hear about this from Harry later, but he didn't care. He was tired. 

The elevator doors opened with the heady smell of three alphas in close proximity and loud laughter Liam knew to be Niall's. He looked over his shoulder as the three boys exited the elevator. Zayn caught his eye and smiled, Harry was smirking, and Niall looked confused. "Are you alright?" Niall asked Liam.

Liam blushed and looked to Zayn for a little help. Zayn offered some by saying, "You two go ahead. Let me talk to him." The two went down the hall and into Zayn's apartment while Zayn plopped down next to Liam. "What's up princess?"

Zayn's pet name was met with pinker cheeks. Liam leaned against his shoulder mumbling, "I got tired. This box was too heavy. I didn't want to embarrass myself." He pointed at the security camera at the end of the hall to explain his last statement. "I was going to push it down to the apartment, but I didn't want to be seen like that."

Zayn chuckled as he pulled Liam into his lap. "What do you say we get this box into the apartment and eat whatever it is that Niall ended up getting and then we'll finish up with the boxes? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, really...just didn't know I had so much stuff."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

Liam could hear the smirk in Zayn's voice more than he could see it. He pushed himself out of Zayn's lap and to his feet with grumbled words Zayn couldn't quite catch, but the alpha assumed it was something along the lines of "I'm not a baby". Zayn got to his feet, easily lifting and carrying the box Liam had been struggling with. Liam scowled at him when he brought the box in, but Zayn just smiled and kissed his cheek. 

**A FEW HOURS LATER...**

Zayn and Liam flopped onto the couch among the multitude of boxes. "This is a lot of stuff," Zayn said as he looked over his cluttered living room. 

"If I remember correctly, my mom packed and left a lot of space so nothing broke, though I'm not quite sure what would break. I think that's why some of the boxes are so light and why there are so many of them. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Li," Zayn assured him. "Do you want to start unpacking or would you rather we call it a night?"

Liam stared at the wall across from him, but he wasn't really seeing it. His head was a little fuzzy. He was also trying to determine the reason for his sudden fatigue. He'd been just fine and then the thought of having to transport the box from the elevator to the apartment had been so demoralizing. Liam was drawn from his thoughts and suddenly hyper aware of Zayn's arm across the shoulder. He blushed at the mere thought of what this all meant. He had managaed to hole himself up in Niall's apartment last time and deal with this problem himself. Now it was coming early and he was not looking forward to it. (Not that he ever did, but he was not looking forward to it in the middle of moving in.) "Zayn, when does school start again?"

"I start back at the end of this week. Why?"

"Well, I...you see...Molly would be better at this..." Liam twisted his hands in his lap thinking how Molly, Niall's beta, would probably just say what needed to be said, but Liam was more private, more reserved. Zayn kissed his forehead in encouragement. "I'm, well you know I'm an omega and, well..."

He was very aware of Zayn leaning over and smelling him. "Oh," he murmured meeting Liam's mortified face. "Lovely." Liam was overwhelmed by the twinkle in Zayn's eyes. Liam was scooped up and carried back to the bedroom before he could fully register what was going on. 

"Zayn, wait," Liam grunted. Zayn dropped Liam on the bed then stood beside it, waiting patiently for his boy to continue. "I, well, the...I'm not on any pills or anything. I didn't want to risk it and well that means that if we...do anything...I could be pregnant."

The thought alone had Zayn's eyes darkening and nostrils flaring. "Okay, baby. What...do you propose?"

"I usually just have Niall take me to my parents', but I don't...it's not that I don't want to...I just..."

Zayn reigned in the hormones coursing through him. He by no means wanted to let Liam be away from him during such a vulnerable time, but he wasn't about to force Liam to do anything he didn't want to. "The car is downstairs. I can take you there if you want."

Liam gaped at Zayn. "Really?"

Zayn nodded, though it pained him to. 

"Why?"

"Because I'm not going to do anything that would upset you." Liam whined again. He wiggled off the bed and stumbled to Zayn. His hands clutched at Zayn's shirt. He tried unsuccessfully to pull it off, but he was suddenly slightly dizzy and his hands were shaking. He frowned when the fabric didn't get out of his way. Zayn placed his hands over Liam's and asked, "Are we going to your parents' or not?"

"Not. If you...I don't want to do anything by myself anymore."

Zayn pulled Liam's hands off his shirt. "Then get on the bed, princess."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any questions, comments, concerns, requests...anything at all...e-mail me at remicolletteaponi@gmail.com


	3. Knock Knock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings one and all. Thank you for your support so far and hopefully it'll keep up. Comments and Kudos always welcome!
> 
> ~Mickey_D

Zayn felt Liam burrow closer to him in the blankets as he tried to stay asleep through the incessant knocking on their front door. Zayn shifted slightly, making to get out of bed to answer the door, but Liam threw an arm around his waist. He opened his eyes and silently begged Zayn not to get up. His grip only tightened when Zayn didn't listen to him. "I'll only be gone for two minutes. I promise." He bent over to kiss Liam's forehead once he managed to untangle himself from the sheets and Liam before heading out of the bedroom. He knew his whole apartment smelled like the hormones raging through him and Liam, but the knocking still hadn't stopped, so whoever it was was beyond idiotic. Sure the building had been designed to keep smells in the apartments to protect tenants, but as soon as he opened the door, some smell would escape and endanger Liam. Zayn paused, his hand hovering over the doorknob. Why had he even thought answering the door was a good thing to do? He should be back in bed with Liam. He should not be about to expose the hallway to a wave of hormones that would surely be caught by some other people. Zayn glanced out the peephole and saw Harry. He growled both in annoyance and as a warning. Harry wouldn't go away; he was just one of those stupidly persistent people. It would probably get him killed one day. Zayn thought it through slowly. (His brain hadn't had to work this hard in a couple of days.) Louis would eventually come to get Harry when it was apparent neither Zayn nor Liam would be answering the door. Why was Harry here in the first place? Sure they were friends and neighbors, but that didn't mean they spent so much time together. (Perhaps that thought was a product of Zayn's irritation.)

"Zayn? Liam? If you're in there, I really actually have to talk to you. It's about that welcome-to-the-apartment party thing."

Zayn groaned. He'd completely forgotten that, and Harry apparently had forgotten it was supposed to be a surprise for Liam. Sure the surprise wasn't spoiled, but Harry didn't know that. Zayn looked at the door again. He could open it, squeeze through, and close it with minimal danger to Liam and Harry. He worried about Harry's reaction even to the slightest hint of what lay behind his door and how he, Zayn, would react to Harry's reaction. "One...two...three..." Zayn cracked the door, wiggled through, and slammed it shut. Harry watched this with an amused expression that faltered slightly when the bit of air from Zayn's apartment brushed past him.

"I'm sorry. Didn't know I was interrupting the house warming," Harry teased, his full smirk back on his face.

"Shut it and get this over with," Zayn demanded, not in the mood for Harry's teasing.

"Well, I was going to talk about food for tomorrow, but tomorrow, I assume, isn't going to work for you guys."

Zayn shook his head. "No, it's definitely not. We'll just do it Saturday. Whatever food you and Louis decided on is fine. Now if you'll excuse me." Zayn slipped back inside the same way he came in. He turned from the door after he closed it, but turned back to it to push the dead bolt into place. One could never be too careful. Satisfied no prowling idiot could get in, Zayn hurried back to the bedroom. He caught himself just before his knees gave out at the sight of Liam spread eagle on the bed covered in sweat and his inner thighs shiny with slick. Liam wasn't too far into this wave since he was laying still, but Zayn knew if he waited any longer to help his boy, Liam would be helping himself. (Zayn was rock hard anyway and he was not one to deny himself something so easily attainable.) "You look so beautiful, princess," he murmured as he stalked forward.

The pet name had Liam's head rocking back and forth as he whined with want. Zayn climbed onto the bed as Liam panted, "What took you so long?"

"Had to straighten a thing out with Harry. Don't worry about it."

Liam's face flushed pink at the mention of Harry. "Oh, God. I can just bet he'll tease me about this later."

Zayn chuckled. "You're probably right, princess. Now about this..." Zayn dragged his finger along Liam's left inner thigh, just above his cock, and down his right inner thigh. Liam whimpered at the touch. Zayn stretched out between Liam's legs and breathed in the delicious smell wafting off Liam. Overwhelmed by it all, Zayn decided to forego the plans to tease Liam until he was almost crying, instead choosing to fuck him until he did. As he moved to better position himself, Liam spread his legs wide. Zayn would tease him a little bit. "C'mon now, princess. I know you can open wider for me." Liam's mouth dropped open as he panted, but he did manage to open his legs a little wider. "So good, princess," Zayn breathed. Zayn shifted forward, lining his cock up with Liam's entrance. He pushed slightly to get the first bit in, but after that it was easy to go all the way. Liam cried out as his back arched into Zayn. Zayn wanted to stay still for a moment, let the sensation of being in Liam wash over him and the sensation of being full wash over Liam, but Liam had other ideas as he started to rock his hips against Zayn's. Zayn tried to resist, but as soon as Liam started begging with  _Want you to move_ and  _Give me your cock, babe_ Zayn just couldn't resist any longer. He pulled back and thrust forward hard, effectively putting a stop Liam's rambling mouth, though the blush in his omega's cheeks was probably permanent. Zayn was particularly forceful this time as he worked Liam. Liam wasn't complaining though, in fact, he was encouraging Zayn with his cries and moans and choked words that Zayn couldn't really understand besides  _More_ and _Oh God_. Zayn shifted slightly, changed the angle which made Liam's eyes open almost as wide as his mouth was. Zayn mercilessly pounded in at the same angle. Liam curled around him, his legs wrapping around Zayn's waist, his arms wrapping around Zayn's shoulders. Liam was literally surrounding Zayn as the alpha fucked him. Liam, overwhelmed by the deep thrusts and the scent of Zayn, came hard between them. Zayn wasn't even close to being done though; his knot was just beginning to swell, though he was a lot closer now that Liam had just climaxed.

Post-orgasm Liam was a sight to be seen (just by Zayn). His legs, once vice-like around Zayn's waist, dropped to the side. His arms loosely held around Zayn's shoulders, but the grip could easily be broken. His head lolled to the right, the cool pillows giving him something to ground himself with as Zayn continued his hard work. Zayn loved it; reveled in the sight. It spurred him to work fast, to see how many times Liam could climax. He'd so far gotten three out of him in a single round, but he knew, if he worked just right, he could pull one or two more from his lovely boy. It was all a matter of stamina. Zayn slowed, but didn't stop, his movements in Liam as he reached gently for Liam's jaw so he could move Liam to see his face. "Want to see how many times I can get you to come." Liam's reply was a strained, "Okay". Zayn smiled, kissed him, and then returned to his orginal, bruising pace. "Wish you could see yourself, princess. So pretty spread out for me." Zayn smiled as he watched his words affect Liam. He'd discovered quickly that Liam, though he won't admit it, has a thing for dirty talk. "So tight, even though we've been at it for days." Zayn leaned down, pressing his face into the side of Liam's neck. He knew they weren't ready to fully bond yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't tease the spot with his teeth and leave a dark bruise for anyone to see. He nipped at the skin and then sucked. Liam cried out again as he came for the second time this round. Zayn smiled against the throbbing skin, keeping tally in his head. Zayn pulled himself away from Liam, letting his hands trail over the body beneath him. Liam's eyes were glazed over, so Zayn knew he wasn't fully there, but the glassy eyes met Zayn's and the alpha knew the omega was okay. "Gonna knot you, princess. Fill you up. Get my baby in you." (That was not the goal this time around, but damn if Zayn didn't want it.) Zayn's cock swelled and throbbed once, twice, before he pushed it into Liam. The push and the initial pulse of Zayn's seed filling Liam had the omega seeing stars as his body shook through his third orgasm of the night.

Zayn petted and soothed Liam as he drew the trembling body up into a sitting position. His own body felt high, weightless almost, but before he let himself enjoy the sensation, he wanted to be sure Liam was comfortable for the wait. Zayn got them settled so that he was resting against the pillows and Liam was resting with his head tucked under Zayn's chin and his body slumped forward. Only then did Zayn relax and let the warm waves of pleasure wash over him as he pumped Liam full of his semen. 

"H-how many times?"

Zayn was too shocked by the sleepy question to answer it. "What?"

"How many times did I come this time?"

"Three."

Liam grunted. He was still hard and the need to come was just an itch, but it was still there. "One more time," he whispered.

Zayn smiled, an almost greedy expression on his face, and began to gently roll his hips. The motion forced his knot a little deeper into Liam causing the boy to whimper. Zayn rubbed his back and cooed in Liam's ear as he moved. It was getting hard to concentrate as the pleasure of his movements raced through his body. Liam's pants brushed Zayn's throat as his body simply rolled with Zayn's. Zayn's lips brushed the tip of Liam's ear before he whispered, "I love you Liam." Zayn felt Liam's breath hitch and then sigh as he came for the fourth time. Zayn relaxed once again in the pillows, but frowned when he felt a bit of water on his chest. He gently lifted Liam's now teary face up. "Are you alright love?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah, just all a little much."

Zayn wrapped an arm around Liam's shoulders to support Liam as he kissed him. 

**A DAY LATER...**

Liam walked across the lobby to the mailboxes on the wall. He found the key on his key chain to open the door. It felt so nice to be showered and out of bed, not that it'd been a bad experience, he just was ready for some fresh air and social interactions.

"Finally dragged yourselves out of the apartment I see."

Liam instantly blushed as he heard Harry next to him. He was sure his body would automatically blush whenever Harry was around, even if he wasn't teasing him. It was going to become a learned reaction. "I'd say we walked out," Liam replied making Harry grin.

"That's a nice bruise you've got there," Harry commented with a nod toward the prominent mark on Liam's neck. 

Liam reached up to touch it with a smile as Louis came through the door, his hands and arms full of groceries. "Harry, you idiot! Come help me with these!"

 


	4. Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the support. Glad you all are enjoying yourselves. I'm enjoying myself... :)

"You busy?" 

Zayn looked up from his desk when he heard the voice. Emma Shawn, the freshman English teacher from down the hall, stood in the doorway to his classroom. "Not in the slightest. "What's up?"

Emma shrugged as she walked in and plopped down in an empty desk. "Nothing really. Just wanted to catch up. I heard about Amanda."

Zayn expected the name to hurt him more than it did, but he was well on his way to barely being able to remember the girl that had stomped on his heart. His whole being was being swallowed by Liam. Liam...Zayn would much rather be with Liam than staring at his computer screen or "organizing" his desk. He didn't leave school on the last day until everything was ready to go for the next year so that, by some miracle, if Principal Cowell reliquished his tight grip on everyone and let them decide if they needed to come in at all the week before school actually started, Zayn would be able to stay home becasue he was already ready to go. He really wanted to be cuddling on the couch with Liam and just talking about them. Maybe he'd do a late night painting of Liam while he's sleeping on the couch with the late night news on. Zayn's lips curled as he thought he might try to get Liam to pose nude for him this weekend. He probably wouldn't get much painting done if Liam was posed nude. 

"Earth to Zayn. Earth to Zayn. Come in, Zayn," Emma called. 

Zayn shook himself out of his thoughts with a small smile Emma could easily recognize. "Sorry, Emma."

"I know that look," Emma murmured. "Who is she?"

"It's a he and I'm not telling you. Last time I told you about someone you had our wedding planned down to the ridges on the edge of the plants and the gold dust pattern sprinkled on the table clothes."

Emma sighed wistfully. "It would have been a lovely ceremony."

Zayn snorted and turned back to the papers he'd been "organizing" since eight this morning.

"So you really won't tell me  _anything_?"

Glancing up from his papers, Zayn smirked. "Nope."

The two of them entered an intense staring contest. Zayn had to blink away first, rubbing moisture back into his too dry eyes. Emma pumped her fist in the air as her victory dance. "To the victor the spoils!" she declared. "Now tell me."

"Zayn-oh, sorry. Didn't mean to interupt."

Zayn thought he might just fly from his desk to his door as the lovely, quiet voice traveled through his classroom. Emma turned her attention to the door where Liam was standing shuffling his feet nervously. Her mouth dropped open, a mild gesture for the usually dramatic girl. Zayn rose from his desk and crossed the classroom quickly to wrap his arm around Liam's shoulder while he kissed him quickly. Liam buried his face in Zayn's chest, trying to hide as best he could. "I'm sorry. I should have called or something. I didn't mean to interupt," Liam mumbled so only Zayn could hear him.

"Nonsense, Liam. I love surprises." Zayn turned them so that he was facing Emma and Liam was tucked protectively against his side. "Emma this is Liam. Liam this is Emma. She teaches down the hall." 

Emma slowly rose from her seat and crossed the room as if approaching a scared animal. She reached out to shake Liam's hand. "Hi, Liam. Nice to meet you." Liam shyly returned the handshake. Emma was obviously an alpha and made Liam just slightly anxious, though having Zayn right next to him was helping tremendously. "Zayn, he's adorable. I'll leave you two. We'll catch up later, Z." Emma walked out singing a song loudly and off key.

"You alright?" Zayn asked as he reliquished his tight hold around Liam's shoulders.

"Yeah. I just get nervous around alphas. I really didn't mean to interupt."

Zayn just waved away Liam's interupting comment and returned to his desk. "What's up, princess?"

Liam let the fuzzy feeling from the pet name dissipate a bit before he said, "Well, I thought maybe we could get some lunch."

Zayn was bouncing out of his seat and from the room without even answering. He just dragged Liam out of the school and to his car. "How'd you get here?" Liam didn't have a car of his own. 

"Harry drove me," Liam explained with a blush. "He was adamant that someone in my condition shouldn't eat alone. I think he thinks I'm pregnant." 

"You've been taking your pills right?" Zayn asked. Maybe Harry could sense something he'd let the pills fool him into thinking wasn't there. 

"Yeah." Zayn could hear the disgust in Liam's voice.

"Just this once, princess," Zayn assured him by squeezing the other's thigh. "Next time we won't even bother." Liam nodded. "Where do you want to go to lunch?"

"Wherever you want."

Zayn drove down the street to a large strip mall with some good restaurants tucked between secondhand shops and superstores. He chose a small place he and Emma frequented. They took a seat after ordering and chatted while they waited. Liam was in the middle of telling him about a strange dream he'd had last night, when Zayn's cell phone rang. The conversation was short, leaving Liam painfully curious. "Do you want to come back to school with me?" Zayn asked, not giving Liam any more information about the phone call. "I could use the company."

"Sure," Liam said. He didn't have anything else to do.

Their food arrived and they ate while they talked. Liam asked lots of questions about Zayn's school and the upcoming year. Zayn was more than happy to tell him about why he was teaching and his plans for his senior English class this year. Liam almost wished he was going to be in Zayn's class this year, but then he'd be Zayn's student and their relationship wouldn't exactly be smiled upon. But the thoughts of what a teacher and student could do...if Liam worked up the nerve, maybe he'd play a student and Zayn could be a teacher...Liam shook the thoughts from his head. He needed to focus on eating his food or Zayn would worry he wasn't feeling well. He wasn't really, but he'd never fully let on to Zayn how gross and out of sorts the pills were making him feel. He just had one more to go and then his body could start righting itself. 

"Sorry, I've been rambling," Zayn said, realizing that he'd been talking for a good ten minutes now.

"No, you're good. I like hearing you talk about all that stuff."

Zayn leaned over to kiss Liam's cheek. "We should head back. I've got a meeting in half an hour."

Zayn paid and the two of them returned to school. Liam walked into Zayn's rooms to see that the desks had been replaced with large tables seating six kids each. "Tables?"

"Yeah. I don't like desks. I let the kids collaborate and it makes group work a lot easier to assign. I switch them up every couple of months, but always at the tables." 

Liam brushed a hand over one of the tables before he pulled out a chair to sit in. "I like that. Is there anything I can do?"

Zayn spun in his chair for a moment as he thought about what Liam could do. "Actually, yeah. Mind stapling these packets for me?" He brought a stack of packets over to the table along with a stapler and some work he had to do before the meeting. He quickly explained what he wanted stapled together before Emma was standing in the door to walk with him to the meeting. Liam hummed to himself, wishing he had some music to sing along to. His attention turned to the computer. Zayn was already logged in, so after a few moments of searching the internet, Liam pulled up a radio station and was able to sing along with that as he began stapling papers again. Lost in the repetative nature of his task and the familiarity of the songs, Liam didn't realize that Zayn had returned from a rather short meeting and was watching him from the doorway until Liam stapled the last packet and stretched in his seat. 

"I'm really glad you aren't my student," Zayn said as he walked towards the table. 

"Why?"

"Because I wouldn't be able to be an effective teacher. I'd be thinking about how I'd get you in bed and completely ruin you, princess." Zayn was now leaning on the table, his face a meager inch from Liam's. "Would you like to be my student?"

Liam's throat was dry and he couldn't seem to come up with a proper answer.

"I asked you a question, Liam," Zayn prompted him with a smug smile.

"Yes. I'd like to be your student."

Zayn reached out and ran his thumb over Liam's bottom lip. "We'll have to see what arrangements I can make then. But for now, let's get out of here."

Liam organized the stack of papers he'd staple and placed them on the corner of Zayn's desk before he left the classroom. He bounced his knee as Zayn drove them back to the apartment. Zayn was unusually quiet and hurried about getting upstairs. Liam tried to ask him some questions, his mind floating back to the mysterious phone call at lunch, but Zayn was giving him nothing. Zayn seemed fidgety in the elevator. Maybe he was thinking about his teacher comment earlier; Liam certainly was. He was thinking very hard about the useful tables in Zayn's classroom. He blamed his messed up hormones for his thoughts. Usually they weren't so sexually driven. Zayn didn't pull out his keys like he usually did when the elevators arrived on their floor. Instead, he took Liam's hand and pulled him to their door. "I love you," he murmured pressing a quick kiss to Liam's forehead before opening the door.

"Surprise!"

Liam yelped and jumped back into Zayn. There was a multitude of people in their apartment with Harry and Louis in the center beneath a banner that read: Welcome Home Liam! Liam tucked himself into Zayn's side much like he did when he met Emma. Zayn chuckled as he moved them both further into the apartment so he could close the door. "Surprise, princess," he murmured.

Liam was tryinig to calm himself with deep breaths and he scooted away from Zayn so he didn't seem rude to the guests. Harry and Louis came over first to hug him. Louis began tugging Liam from person to person. Harry stood next to Zayn and the two of them watched their omegas float through the party. It was obvious Liam was a little overwhelmed, but as soon as he found Niall and his beta Molly, Liam seemed okay.

"So, no baby then," Harry murmured as he dragged Zayn to get a drink with him from the kitchen. 

Zayn shook his head. "We're not even mated, Haz. We want kids, but we're not ready yet."

"Lame excuse. I'd knock him up so fast-"

"If you want to live, I suggest you stop talking, mate," Zayn warned earning a grin from Harry. 

A knock on the door had Zayn moving to answer it. He peered through the peephole and saw a small girl on the other side. He opened the door with a kind smile sensing her nerves. "Hi, you here for Liam?"

She looked like she was about to pass out, but then Liam was next to Zayn greeting her with a shocked, "Ellie?" Liam immediately wrapped her in a hug and was talking faster than Zayn had ever heard him. Zayn closed the door as the two walked in. He had no idea who the girl was, but Liam seemed very invested in her. Suddenly, Liam and Ellie were in front of him. "Sorry, Zayn. This is Ellie. She's basically the little sister I never had. Ellie this is Zayn." Ellie smiled brightly up at him, more confident now that she was with Liam. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Ellie," Zayn greeted.

"Nice to meet you too. Liam can't talk about anything else."

Zayn beamed at Liam, happy to hear that Liam talked about him just as much as he talked about Liam. 

Louis suddenly dragged Liam, who pulled Ellie, away from Zayn. "You've got to see the cake Harry made," Louis was saying.

"Oh, Zayn there you are!" 

Zayn turned away from the scene the three omegas made as they went to the kitchen. "Hello Mrs. Stanford. I didn't know you'd be here." 

One of his biggest supporters, Mrs. Stanford smiled up at him. "Louis is a very good party planner. Helped me figure out what dish to bring and everything. Almost thought I'd ask him what I should wear, but I found something lovely last weekend. Do you like it?" She twirled for Zayn. He admired the dress but his compliments were lost as Mrs. Stanford began to talk again. "When are you coming out with something new? You've kept the rumor mill running at the gallery, especially after Amanda left. Tragedy always brings out the best in an artisit, don't you think?" Zayn grunted. "I'd love a preview."

"I've got things in the works. I'm planning on revealing it in February, on the retreat."

Mrs. Stanford grinned. "Brilliant. And Liam is positively wonderful."


	5. A Toy Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this story...it's new and exciting for me. I'm so happy you are enjoying it too.

"What's the date today?" Zayn asked as he watched his coffee pot fill on an early Saturday morning.

Liam rubbed his eyes. Zayn always told him he didn't have to get up early with him when he went to things down at the gallery, but Liam always wanted to be up with him. He didn't want to miss a waking moment with Zayn. "Today is February 13."

"So it's been six months, one week, and two days since our first date," Zayn told him.

Liam smiled. "You're very exact."

"I count every single day."

"Why?" Liam asked as Zayn poured himself a cup of coffee. Liam didn't really like coffee, but the smell that filled the apartment and clung to Zayn was heavenly.

"So, when I count my blessings, I don't forget a single one."

Liam was bright red after that. Zayn grinned broadly at him as he held his cup between his hands. "You're such a sap," Liam murmured.

Zayn took a sip of coffee before he said, "Like you haven't been doing the same."

Liam rolled his eyes, but nodded. Zayn was usually right. 

"I'll be back this afternoon, okay? I won't be too late." Zayn said as Liam trailed after him as he moved from the kitchen to the doorway. Liam was torn between wishing him well and clinging to him begging him not to go. That would be selfish, though Liam didn't think it'd take long for Zayn to come up with a flimsy excuse to miss today's gallery event.

"What exactly are you doing today?" Liam asked as he helped Zayn make sure he had everything.

Zayn sighed, like he was already tired of whatever it was. "Going to the gallery to announce my reveal at the end of the month. It drives donations and gossip--two of the gallery's favorite things."

"And why can't I go with you?" 

Zayn smiled wickedly, his whole demeanor changing in a moment. "Because you are part of my reveal."

"I'm not an object to be shown off, Zayn," Liam hissed, his mood suddenly changing. Zayn's wounded expression had Liam reevaluating his last sentence, but before he could apologize, Zayn was talking.

"I know you're not an object, princess. I just...wanted to...I guess show you off in the grandest way possible is the best I can do, but not in a way to make you seem like an object."

Liam hugged him. "I know that's not what you meant. I'm sorry. Don't know what came over me." Zayn wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly. Liam was two seconds away from holding him a bit tighter and begging for him to stay home. He didn't want to be without Zayn for a second. With kisses and a bit of prodding, Liam got Zayn out of the apartment and moving towards the elevator. It was important Zayn went to the gallery today. And he'd be back just like he said, so Liam had nothing to worry about. Nodding to himself, LIam returned to the apartment, leaning against the door once he'd closed it. A slow, steady throb that Liam expected had been growing all morning, bloomed in the back of his head. Liam groaned as he slid down the door, pulling the lock into place as his hand dragged down after him. He despised headaches; they completely incapacitated him for an entire day. Maybe he could nap it off. Liam crawled to the couch and pulled a blanket over himself. Napping would have been just fine, if another ache hadn't started, this one nearer the lower end of his torso. He'd taken the week off, but only in case his heat was only a day or two early. This was four days early, and Liam wasn't fully prepared. When it started early like this, Liam spiraled down much quicker and it could last a little longer since the only reason his heat would come early was because of an increase in hormones. While he still had coherent thought, Liam decidedly blamed the pills he'd taken in August after his last heat. They'd messed up his hormones. Laying on the couch with the knowledge that he was going to be miserable for most of the day, Liam closed his eyes to try and get some sleep before the real madness started.

**LATER THAT AFTERNOON...**

Liam had managed to get some fitful rest until mid-morning, but then he was awake and aware of the fact that the same ache remained in his lower body, but not in his head. At least his head felt better. He shifted on the couch and turned the TV on trying to distract himself, but that only worked for so long. Now it was the afternoon and Liam was dying. He was too hot all over and though he'd shed all of his clothing except his boxers, he was quite certain he was going to die because of this fever. He was constantly rubbing his aching cock, trying to give himself some relief while he waited for Zayn. He wasn't too far gone yet, which was strange since his body had been warming up for most of the day. Zayn could leave an hour early right? Especially if Liam told him what was going on. Liam reached for his phone on the coffee table, but it wasn't there. He then dug around in his sweatpants and found it in the pocket. Keeping one hand on his aching body, he tried to focus on the phone, but his sight was bleary and his fingers were so shaky. He rubbed at his eyes with his wrist and tried to steady his hand against his stomach, but nothing worked. He tossed his phone down and looked up at the ceiling, and that's when it happened.

His hearing became muffled by a shrill ringing in his ears, and the world around him swam in his vision. The heat of his body intensified ten fold and he was so painfully hard he wanted to cry. He was now at the full mercy of the hormones raging through his body and he knew they wouldn't be satisfied unless Zayn did something about it. But Zayn wasn't home yet. Why had Zayn abandoned him in his time of need? What had he done? What was Zayn doing and who was he with that was so much more important than Liam? Anger spiked in his chest and simmered just below the surface. He needed Zayn, and hadn't Zayn promised on several occasions that he'd always be there for him. Well he certainly wasn't there now. Liam growled and rolled off the couch, landing on the floor with a grunt. He was prepared for this and he would prove to Zayn that he, Liam, did not need his stupidly lovely alpha cock to get through this heat. (Liam wouldn't lie, the thought of Zayn fucking him was a heavenly thought at the moment like a mirage in the middle of the desert.) Liam crawled over the console the TV sat on. It was low, only as high as Liam's knee, but there was a lower shelf that held a black box with an easy enough lock to open when Liam was in his right mind; however, Liam was not in his right mind and the lock was proving to be extremely difficult and he needed it to open. He thought he might cry when he tried for what felt like the millionth time (but was more like the third or fourth) to open the lock. He scooted away from the table and cried out in shock when the friction gave him the slightest hint of relief. He did it again and again until he was desperately rubbing himself against the carpet using the fabric of his boxers to get some slight touch. It only last for about two minutes, and then he was reaching behind himself to press his fingers against the fabric of his boxers and against his slick entrance. This was an improvement from the carpet. Liam moaned as he pressed against himself a little harder...

Zayn whistled as he got off the elevator. The gallery had gone so well and he'd teased just enough to get the rumor mill working double time. He'd lamented the loss of Amanda, but only hinted that there was someone else. Mrs. Stanford may think that tragedy spurs great art, but everlasting happiness may be a more useful muse. A door opened down the hall, and Zayn waved at his colleague Tom Parker. Tom waved back as he answered his phone. Zayn placed his key in the lock, but upon finding the deadbolt locked, he began to worry a bit. The deadbolt was usually left open if one of them was home. Had Liam gone out without him? It wasn't a bad thing; Liam could come and go as he pleased, but he usually let Zayn know. Zayn took a deep breath to calm himself. Liam was a big boy; he could take care of himself. Zayn opened the door and was overcome by the smell of Liam in heat. He was vaguely aware that Tom had stopped talking and was staring at him, but he was just concerned for Liam. He quickly stepped into the apartment and closed and locked the door behind him. 

"Zayn..."

Liam opened his eyes after they'd closed in pleasure as he pressed his finger against himself. His voice was rough and weak causing Zayn obvious distress. When Zayn's eyes landed on him, Liam tilted his head back to bare his neck to his alpha, but he wasn't able to pull his finger away for fear of passing out from the lack of satisfaction. Zayn took in Liam's desperate trembling form and the out-of-place toy box and muttered a quiet, "Fuck," to himself. "Princess it's too soon." Zayn moved to Liam as quickly as he could, pulling the omega into his arms and tucking Liam's head beneath his chin. Liam whined as Zayn didn't reach for his body but the box. The alpha opened the lock and picked out one of Liam's favorite toys. He turned the vibrator on to the highest setting, not worried it would be too much for Liam. He was worried he wouldn't even be able to feel it. Liam's boxers were already incredibly damp, his body hotter than Zayn remembered it being the last time. Zayn pulled away the ruined fabric and pressed his own fingers without a barrier against Liam. Liam convulsed in his arms as his body came suddenly. Zayn watched in awe as Liam's eyes rolled back in his head as his first orgasm washed over him, though it did nothing to help him relax. Liam was practically crying as Zayn continued to hold him but didn't do anything more. Zayn slid the toy inside Liam which brought a slight smile to the boy's face. The alpha picked up his omega and carried him to the bedroom. He placed Liam on the bed, which Liam started pressing his hips into to try and create friction with the toy inside. Zayn stepped back so he could remove his clothes. Even in that short a span, Liam was reduced to a whimpering, incoherent mess. Zayn had wanted to take this heat slow, make it the most memorable since they'd wanted to properly mate this time, but he was well aware of the fact Liam could literally lose his mind without help soon, so he would have to hold off on the slow part until Liam was a little better.

Zayn got into bed with Liam who was on all fours. He pulled the toy out of Liam who burst into actual tears when it was gone. "Hush, princess. I'm right here. Going to take care of you." Zayn, hard since he walked in the door, thrust completely in at once. Liam's tears of pain turned into tears of complete ecstasy, a second orgasm overcoming him which finally took a bit of the edge off. Liam's body squeezed Zayn, but Zayn was far from his own orgasm. Zayn gripped Liam's hips and thrust with brutal force that he knew Liam could take once Liam's body relaxed. Liam's arms didn't hold him up for very long, but when he was bent so his head rested on his arms, the angle caused them both to moan in bliss. Zayn was losing his grip on his instincts, and if possible, his thrusts became a little harder when Liam started chanting his name. Hearing his name come from his beautiful boy affected Zayn and had him pushing his knot inside in moments. It was powerful, the amount of pleasure he go as he started to release his seed in Liam. Rocking Liam through his third orgasm, Zayn shifted them so that they were laying on their sides; Zayn the big spoon, Liam the small spoon. Zayn nosed at the spot he planned to mark Liam. Liam mewled as Zayn continued to suck and kiss and nuzzle the spot. Liam tilted his head, baring his neck in a sign of complete trust and submission. 

"Zayn, please."

Zayn began rocking his hips slowly, kissing the spot gently, but with a greater purpose. Liam hummed, content where he was as Zayn's arms tightened their grip around his chest and waist. Zayn blew a cool stream of air over the spot before he sank his teeth in. The world fell away and Zayn was only aware of Liam as the omega cried out and trembled against him. He was aware of his body locked with Liam's and how he felt like his orgasm was starting all over again. A flood of emotions crashed over him, both his own and Liam's. Every detail of Liam became clearer, everything a bit more defined than how it had been. He removed his teeth from Liam's body when the world started becoming hazy and his ears stared ringing. Zayn licked at the wound, watching as the skin scared almost immediately. The white print of his teeth permanently on Liam. Liam was glassy eyed and flushed cheeked as he tilted his head back in search of a kiss. Zayn gently brushed their lips together. "Mine," he breathed as Liam's head dropped to his shoulder, the little omega overcome by much deserved sleep.


	6. The Reveal

Liam's hands were shaking as he tried to get his bow tie done in a timely fashion and without help. It really shouldn't have been as difficult as it was, but every time he glanced in the mirror, he could see Zayn smiling at him in the reflection, which only made him more determined to do this by himself. He'd never had a reason to wear a bow tie or just a plain tie anywhere. He'd watched a YouTube video about it, but only once while Zayn was in the shower so his mate wouldn't know how new he was to the whole tux thing. Liam stuck his tongue out in concentration as he fiddled with the fabric around his neck again. When it once again didn't form a bow tie, he dropped his hands with a huff and asked, "Will you help me, Zayn?"

"Of course, Liam. Thought you'd never ask." Liam turned to face Zayn, crossing his arms and not making eye contact. Zayn easily recognized his stance as one of embarrassment. "No need to be embarrassed, love. I couldn't tie one either. Always had to have Doniya come over and do it, then it was Louis, and then I was tired of having other people help me, so I watched like a hundred videos and read a couple sets of instructions to get it." Zayn's brow furrowed as he failed the first time to get Liam's bow tie done. "Never done one on another person though." He moved so he was behind Liam and his hands were in front of him like how they would be if he was tying one on himself. Zayn hummed and kissed Liam's ear while his hands were quick to make Liam's bow tie. "There we are." Zayn turned them so they were looking in the mirror together. "We look damn good."

Liam giggled and kissed Zayn's cheek. "Thanks." He was about to walk out so they would make their way to the car, but Zayn caught him around the waist and kissed him properly. "We're going to be late," Liam mumbled when Zayn let them breathe.

"The main event is never late. Everyone else is simply early, but it won't do to let them be early for too long." Arm around Liam's waist, Zayn walked them to the car and drove quickly to the gallery. 

The gallery was trapped between two skyscrapers making it look tiny, but the inside was huge. There were three floors, but the top two floors only had wrap around balconies that were wide enough for five or six people to easily walk across. A person on the first floor could see all the way up to the roof where there were large sky lights to allow as much natural light into the building as possible. The gallery was also very long, reminding Zayn of the magical tents in Harry Potter that look like regular tents but are magically enlarged on the inside. If walked and observed properly, Zayn guessed one could spend an entire day here and feel like one hadn't seen all the gallery had to offer. Across the street from the gallery was an underground parking facility that Zayn pulled into quickly, forgoing the valet service the gallery offered on reveal nights. He wasn't about to trust someone else with his car. 

"Ready love?" Zayn asked.

Liam nodded, obviously nervous, but didn't verbally let on how he was feeling as they got out of the car and crossed the street. It was bright in the gallery, and both boys had to squint initially, but their eyes adjusted quickly. Just in time, too, because Zayn really had stirred the rumor mill up and Mrs. Stanford had only mentioned bits and pieces to the other people associated with the gallery about Zayn's mystery mate. She adored the drama, something Zayn had learned early on about his first donor. Mrs. Stanford was the first to come up and greet Zayn with a kiss to each cheek before she did the same to Liam. Like always, Liam became uncomfortable with the foreign touch, but tried not to be rude about it. Once Mrs. Stanford had flitted away, Liam tucked himself against Zayn's side trying to hide from the multiple gazes the two of them were attracting. Zayn squeezed Liam in a one-armed hug before guiding him further in and mingling with the other guests. When Zayn didn't mention him, Liam remembered not to be offended. It was part of Zayn's Grand Reveal Plan. Liam was okay being the quiet observer. He didn't know a soul in the building, except for Zayn, and the familiarity of his mate so close to him was beyond comforting. So many people were overwhelming. He frowned when he thought about going up on stage with Zayn. That was going to be positively terrifying.

"Doing okay, princess?" Zayn asked quietly when they were getting some food.

"Yeah, just a lot of people," Liam murmured. 

Zayn squeezed the hand he was now holding. "It's all going to be okay. Just a bit longer."

'Just a bit longer' turned out to be a shorter time than Liam thought. Just after they'd finished with their food, a small guy dressed in all black was tapping Zayn on his shoulder and telling him that it was time for the reveal. Butterflies erupted in Liam's stomach. He should not have eaten anything. Zayn tugged him to the stage and walked confidently onto it dragging poor Liam up with him. Liam curled himself around Zayn's arm as everyone looked up at them.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am so glad to see so many of you could come to this special evening. It has been...too long since I've revealed anything and tonight I have two reveals." Zayn waited until the murmuring subsided before he continued. "As many of you know, there was this girl..." Zayn trailed off as he noticed a late arrival talking to the hostess at the door. What was Tom Parker doing here? Refocusing, "...named Amanda. She meant a lot to me, but she left. I holed myself up in my apartment much to the irritation of my sister since she'd been telling me all along Amanda wasn't good for me. I hate when she's right." This got some giggles and gave Zayn time to try and think of a reason Tom would be here. "It turns out she was right again a little more than seven months ago. She sent me on this blind date and I met this gorgeous boy next to me." Zayn looked away from the crowd and to Liam, offering his mate a small smile of encouragement. "Would you like to introduce yourself, princess?" he asked quietly so that only Liam could hear. Liam's eyes got wide. Zayn soothed him with a kiss, which earned delighted cooing from the audience. "I'd like to introduce you to my mate, Liam." Liam turned and waved shyly at the crowd, before curling back into Zayn. The audience clapped and cheered, Zayn saying, "Now what you're really here for," offering Liam the button to push. Liam pushed it and the clapping and cheering became soft murmurs and gasps as the sheets that had been covering Zayn's new collection all simultaneously dropped to the floor to reveal the art beneath. Zayn stood beaming on the stage with Liam next to him, but was acutely aware of the fact that Tom Parker was staring unabashedly at Liam. It made Zayn's skin crawl. "C'mon, princess. There's one I want you to see before anyone else."

Tugging Liam off the stage while glaring at Tom, Zayn hopped off the stage and headed towards the far end of his display. They were alone since the patrons were all starting at the beginning. Liam was very curious as to what Zayn wanted to show him. Zayn stopped abruptly and turned so that Liam smacked into his chest. "Close your eyes." Liam did as he was told, putting his hands over his eyes so Zayn would believe he couldn't see anything. Zayn walked backwards as he guided Liam forward. "Now when you open your eyes, look carefully."

Liam opened his eyes and smiled as he looked at one of Zayn's favorite projects, one he just couldn't stop talking about. It was a sheet he'd let Liam add a little to, but mostly it was Zayn's own work of graffiti art. Liam looked closely, starting at the left and working his way to the right. It was beautiful, all the curvy lines and bright colors. Liam rubbed his chin, not seeing anything of importance until he came to the right-hand corner. In a heart, looked to be placed among the other pictures as an afterthought, were Liam's and Zayn's initials and the date that they'd mated. A cheesy "4EVR" was sprayed beneath it but Liam couldn't care less. "Oh..." Liam didn't have words to express the intense emotion he felt right now. 

Zayn was nervously chewing his bottom lip. "Is it too cheesy? It is, isn't it? I should have done-"

"Zayn, I love it, honest," Liam said quickly giving him a kiss. Zayn relaxed against the kiss, but then voices were coming closer and he didn't need Mrs. Stanford making a scene about them kissing. He wasn't scared of PDA; just didn't need to be baby-talked to by Mrs. Stanford. Liam curled against him again as the patrons drew closer to them. Tom was among the many people approaching which made Zayn a bit tense. Tom had been acting really weird lately. The other day, Tom had stopped by to return a movie Zayn didn't remember letting him borrow which Tom had passed off as it being so long since Zayn lent it to him. Tom had continued to chatter and then Liam had come up to see what was going on. Tom had then turned all his attention to Liam, and Zayn had been disconcerted by the sudden focus Tom was displaying. Liam had not noticed anything weird about it, but Zayn just told him to be cautious. Liam had giggled at that, but Zayn figured he was just trying to ease his alpha's mind. 

"Hey guys," Tom greeted. "You've got talent, Zayn. Why are you still teaching?"

"Because it's a steady job." Liam rubbed Zayn's back to try to help him relax around their neighbor.

"Seems to me you've got a lot of fans," Tom commented nodding to the crowd swirling around them. "How are you doing Liam?"

"I'm good," Liam murmured, relaxed enough to uncurl slightly from Zayn. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine." And with that, Tom walked away leaving the alpha and the omega alone and slightly confused.

"I'll admit that last bit was a tad strange," Liam murmured.

Zayn made a noncommittal sound before asking, "Wanna get out of here?"

"Don't you have to mingle or anything?" 

"Yeah, Zayn, mingle with us," Mrs. Stanford said after overhearing Liam's comment. She handed Zayn an envelope. Zayn opened it and gawked at the amount on the check. He was about to protest, but Mrs. Stanford cut him off, "Think of it as a donation and a mating gift."

Zayn tucked the envelope into the pocket of his jacket and nodded his thanks. "You're too kind."

Mrs. Stanford grinned. "I like to spoil my favorites. I like this," she said motioning to the sheet behind them. 

"Thank you."

The party went on like that. Zayn was handed two more envelopes and was congratulated by many of the patrons. A few of them engaged Liam in a bit of conversation, but luckily those exchanges were all very brief. They'd probably get longer as Liam came to more things, but for now, the brevity of the encounters was easy on Liam's nerves. By the time Zayn was able to pull them outside the gallery, Liam was half-asleep. Zayn kept a protective arm around Liam's waist and kept a sharp eye on dark corners. He had no problem saying that he was acting a bit paranoid. He'd heard enough horror stories on the news, and while he knew it was a one-in-a-million chance, his brain was still convinced that the dark held too many dangers for Liam to be around. Zayn breathed easily for the first time since seeing Tom that evening once they were in the car. Though the drive was short, Liam was still asleep by the time Zayn pulled up to the apartment. 

"C'mon, princess, we're home," Zayn coaxed. Liam grunted and struggled to unbuckle himself but refused Zayn's help. He pushed open his door and stumbled forward only to be caught by Zayn. Zayn held Liam against him as they went up to the apartment. Zayn was pretty sure Liam was sleep walking using Zayn's chest for his pillow. "Am I going to have to carry you?" Zayn asked with a smile as he fit the key into the lock. Liam hummed and smiled, nodding against Zayn's chest. Door open, Zayn lift Liam up in his arms, closing the door with his foot and walking to the bedroom. Zayn set Liam on his feet so he could pull him out of his clothes before laying him in their bed. Zayn quickly undressed and crawled in next to an already sleeping Liam. He wrapped an arm around Liam's waist and pulled the smaller boy against him. "Goodnight, princess," he murmured, kissing Liam's temple before dropping into his own dreams.


	7. A Bump in the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has over 1,000 hits! I'm so excited! Ah! Never thought I'd get there. Thank you so very much for your support. Literally means the world to me. Makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy when I see that I've got comments when I log on. Thanks for brightening my day! 
> 
>  
> 
> Now, this is just a WARNING: this chapter gets intense. Be prepared.

Zayn looked up from his morning coffee when he heard Liam cry out from their bedroom. He put his mug down before quickly padding down the hall to check on him. "Princess?" Liam was standing in the middle of their room with his shirt pushed up under his armpits and his pants pulled up but not zipped or button. He was frowning with a slight glare at the button. Zayn smiled at him. "What's up?"

Liam blushed as he glanced at Zayn and then motioned to the pants. "They won't button."

Zayn couldn't help but grin. Three months, two weeks, and three days pregnant, Liam was showing and Zayn couldn't get enough of Liam and a baby bump. Liam had to push him out of the door to get him to go to work or the gallery or anywhere really. If Zayn had his way, they'd stay in this apartment forever and never emerge so he could ravish Liam whenever and however he wanted all the time. Liam's stomach wasn't huge, but his pants had always been tight, so the bump that there was stretched the waist too far. "Why don't you try a pair of mine?"

"Because they won't fit either," Liam mumbled.

"Have you tried them?"

Liam shook his head. Zayn got him a pair of his pants and held them out to them. Liam tugged off his pants and pulled on Zayn's. They fit, albeit it a bit snugly, around the baby, but the legs felt miles too long. Zayn crouched in front of him to roll the ends of each leg up to Liam's ankles. "There we are," he said as he stood up. 

"Thanks, love," Liam said as he glanced at himself in the mirror. He looked fine. Maybe he would always wear Zayn's pants, even if he wasn't pregnant. "What time do you need to be at the gallery?"

Zayn groaned. "I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you."

Liam put his hands on his hips. "Zayn, it's just for the weekend and I'll be fine. If I get nervous, I'll call Niall or Harry."

"It'd make more sense to call Harry since he's just down the hall," Zayn said matter-of-factly.

"It would, wouldn't it? I'll call Harry if I get nervous."

Zayn smiled. "Still don't want to leave."

"I don't want you to leave, but you have to. Mrs. Stanford would have my head if you didn't show up."

Zayn growled as Liam pushed him rather forcefully to the door. "I'd never let her anywhere near you."

"I know, I know. Now where's your keys?"

Zayn pulled them from his pocket and dangled them in front of Liam. Liam reached for them, but Zayn moved them just out of Liam's hopping reach. "Just because you're driving back here doesn't mean you're driving to the gallery." Liam pouted while Zayn chuckled. They were quiet, a little subdued at the prospect of being apart for the better portion of three days. It was currently Friday morning and Zayn wouldn't be home until later Sunday afternoon. Liam whined at the thought. Zayn reached across the console and squeezed his mate's thigh. "It'll be okay, princess. I'll call you every night and I'll text you throughout the day."

"Don't let me distract you from the artist-donor bonding time this weekend is for."

"If I was any more bonded with my donors, we'd all be mates," Zayn joked with a wry smile.

Liam chuckled, not phased by the joke. It was mostly true. Zayn was very close with his supporters and it was something Liam heard him complain about a lot, but he always complained with a smile so he knew their support was actually very important to Zayn. Zayn pulled up to the curb outside the gallery. Liam got out and stood on the sidewalk while Zayn got his bag out from the backseat. He dropped the duffle on the sidewalk and wrapped his arms around Liam, who could still curl into him properly. He started kissing Liam all over his face and it became a game. Liam was giggling hysterically in front of the others gathered outside the gallery who were watching with amused smiles on their faces. "Mrs. Stanford help!" Liam shrieked as he barely tried to get Zayn to stop and get over to the others. Liam didn't want Zayn to stop, but he knew the sooner Zayn left, the sooner he would come home.

Mrs. Stanford was grinning broadly as she pulled Zayn off of Liam with a shocking show of strength. "C'mon you love sick puppy. We'll get you back to him as soon as we can. See you Sunday, Liam."

Zayn gave Liam one last tight hug and a proper kiss this time. "I'll be back Sunday as soon as I can. I promise. Please be safe."

Liam squeezed and kissed him back. "I promise. Now get going." He pushed Zayn lightly towards the group after Zayn had given him the keys. 

**FRIDAY NIGHT...**

Liam picked up the remote to change the channel as the news came to a close. He couldn't seem to get tired. Usually he fell asleep within the first five minutes of the news which always made Zayn ask why he stayed up so late if he knew he was going to fall asleep anyway. Liam told him it was just something he did and he'd feel weird if he didn't do it. Zayn didn't understand, but Liam didn't know how else to explain it. He also was loathe to recognize that he now really wanted some cheesecake. (It might have been brought up by the spring pan commercial he'd just watched which showcased several delicious looking cheesecakes.) Liam wondered if they randomly had any cake in their fridge. He pushed himself off the couch and walked to the kitchen, almost tripping over the end of the sweatpants he was wearing. They were Zayn's so they were a little long and shifting around on the couch had unrolled them a bit, but Liam didn't want to change out of them. he opened the fridge and searched vainly for some cheesecake. There wasn't any in their fridge, though in the back of his mind, Liam had known that. 

"You know who has good cheesecake... _Tommo's_ ," Liam said to absolutely no one but himself. Knowing that really good cheesecake was just down the block had his mouth watering and his hand reaching for the house keys and his wallet.  _Tommo's_ stayed open until midnight, and Harry and Louis stayed until one-thirty or two cleaning up. It was currently a quarter to twelve. It'd take Liam ten minutes to get to the restaurant and Harry and Louis would still be there. He grabbed his phone on his way to the door. He should let Zayn know what he was doing, but then he'd try to get him to not go because it was dark. Zayn had a weird thing about Liam going out in the dark by himself. Liam knew it was founded in concern for his well-being, but he'd been just fine before Zayn and he'd be even more fine with Zayn. Liam locked the door behind him and hummed on his way to the elevator. He'd walk fast and with a purpose, two things that would make it look like he was in charge of himself and that he was not someone who one should bother with. (At least, that's what Molly had told him while he was living with her and Niall.)

Liam arrived at _Tommo's_ without incident. He pushed open the door causing a little bell to ring. He didn't immediately see anyone, but soon enough he heard a groan as Louis pushed open the kitchen door with a, "Who the hell do you think you are coming here with  _five minutes_ until closing? Oh! Hi, Liam!" Louis' demeanor change was so swift when he saw Liam that the new arrival laughed.

"Hey, Lou. I can go back home if you want me to," Liam said with a smile.

Harry came out of the kitchen. "Liam? What are you doing here? Why'd you walk here by yourself?"

"I wanted some cheesecake," Liam admitted, shy around the alpha. "Nothing bad happened."

Harry smiled. "Zayn would kill me if he knew that you had walked here all by yourself."

"What he doesn't know won't kill him," Liam said. "Though we all know that I'll probably tell him when I call him next."

"Don't worry, Haz. I'll protect you," Louis declared. 

Harry just rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Come sit down, Liam. I'll get you your cheesecake." Liam sat down at a table and began to pull out his wallet as Harry returned with a slice of cake. "Don't you dare think you're paying for this," Harry said. "It's on the house."

"But-"

"You're not paying," Harry said firmly leaving no room for Liam to argue.

Liam slipped his wallet into his pocket and began to eat happily. Harry and Louis kept him company after they made sure all the doors were locked. They were almost more excited about Liam and Zayn's baby than Liam and Zayn were. Louis was rambling on and on about the name while Harry watched him with a smile. Liam asked them if they were ever going to have kids and they gave him some vague, round-about answers that didn't fully answer his question, but he got that they didn't feel like they were there yet. They had their hands full with Louis' sister's kids who came over to visit almost every other weekend. Liam nodded, remembering being confused by the rambunctious kids running down the hall early in his relationship with Zayn. After he'd finished the cheesecake, which was good like always, Liam leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers over his belly. Harry started teasing him, though Louis tried to stop him, but Liam just smiled and blushed along, absentmindedly pressing against Zayn's mark which caused a few tingles to run up and down his spine. Caving to Louis' requests for him to leave Liam alone, Harry turned his teasing words on Louis which aggravated his omega a bit. Louis stuck his tongue out which Harry tried to lean over to kiss. 

"I think that's my cue to leave," Liam said, feeling how hot his face was. He felt like he was beginning to intrude on personal Harry-Louis time.

"Wait for us. Don't walk alone," Louis said.

"I walked here just fine, I'll be good on the way back. It's not that far," Liam said.

"Please, wait, Liam," Louis said, his voice sounding almost pained. "I don't like the idea of you alone in the dark."

"Louis, I'll be fine."

Harry stepped in. "Liam, we won't be long and you won't be in the way if you wait. It's not a burden or anything like that."

Liam sighed, almost swayed by the alpha's words. "I'm an independent person. I can take care of myself." He could tell Harry and Louis wanted to protest more and he was curious to see if Harry would exert a little more alpha over him, but his neighbors relented begging him to let them know when he got home safely. Liam promised and walked out the front door. As he walked down the sidewalk, Liam hummed and tapped to the tune on his tummy. He loved music and he wanted his kid to love music, so he sang, hummed, or tapped to expose his baby to music in the hopes he or she would be a music lover. He slowly lost himself in his own world as he sang, so when a presence loomed behind him and whispered in his ear, he was completely taken by surprise.

"What's a pretty bitch like you doing out alone in the dark?"

A big hand covered Liam's mouth preventing him from screaming as he struggled against the stranger who was dragging him into a side alley. 

"Keep that pretty mouth quiet or I'll keep it quiet myself, got it?" 

Liam nodded, unsure if the stranger could see him in the dark, but with a hand over his mouth, Liam knew the stranger at least felt him nod. The stranger removed his hand from Liam's mouth and the omega made another cry for help. This earned him a sharp, mean slap across his face. He whimpered from the pain. "I told you to be quiet." The stranger shoved Liam to his knees. Liam struggled against the hold the stranger had on his hair as he heard the deafening roar of a zipper being pulled down. "Now let's put that mouth to some better use." The stranger yanked on Liam's hair, but Liam struggled on, biting at the fingers that tried to pry open his mouth. "Stop struggling!" The stranger let off an enormous amount of alpha energy that overwhelmed the struggling omega. Liam immediately stopped struggling, but he whimpered as a rough thumb opened his mouth and a foreign body part was shoved in his mouth. He hated this stranger with so much force, he found himself resisting the pure alpha rolling off of him and tried to bite what was in his mouth. The stranger cursed and removed his body part from Liam's mouth. He threw Liam back causing the omega's head to crack against the floor of the alley. Liam's head was cloudy as his head reeled from the impact. He was vaguely aware of the stranger rolling him over and pinning his smaller body between his knees. He only just registered his pants being pulled down and his lower body exposed. He could barely understand the words coming out of his own mouth. 

With his face pressed against the floor, Liam couldn't see what the stranger was doing, but he was well aware of the pressure suddenly inside him. Through the clouds in his mind, Liam recognized fingers. At least the stranger was stretching him out, but then dread filled the pit of Liam's stomach. He could feel his body reacting, slicking up to take what the powerful alpha behind him was going to give him. Liam tried to wiggle away, but the stranger screamed at him to stop and scratched Liam's hip with his unoccupied hand. Liam cried as his skin tore open. The fingers were gone and then...

Liam cried out, screamed. He sounded loud to his ears, but he heard the stranger laughing. "Is that all you have? No one will hear you. And if someone else happens to be out at this late hour, all they'll hear is a desperate bitch getting what he deserves. They'll think you want it, and by how wet you are, you must don't you?" 

"No," Liam croaked.

The stranger cackled, pulling Liam's hips into his with brutal force. Liam tried to wiggle away one more time, but the stranger placed a large hand over his throat, squeezing threateningly. Liam froze and began to cry. The stranger's fingers were pressing into Zayn's mark and it burned. No one else was supposed to touch it. It was a violation of a very sacred thing. Liam tried to hum in his head, trying to comfort himself and his baby. His baby..."My baby, my baby, please stop!" Liam cried. He was answered with more cackling.

"Does your mate even fuck you properly? You're such a tight little thing. You went out with this in mind. You wanted to be taken. You wanted a proper fuck."

The clouds in Liam's mind were growing darker and threatened to obscure his vision as he felt the stranger pulse inside him and then it blacked out when the stranger's hips lost their rhythm and stilled as he spilled inside of him. Liam felt his body shudder as the stranger pulled their hips together one last time. He knew that shudder; he knew exactly what it meant. He'd just climaxed because of a stranger. A complete and utter stranger.


	8. Make the Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. How are you doing?

"We really shouldn't have let him go," Louis said as the door closed behind Liam. 

Harry just grunted. "If he doesn't text us in ten minutes, we'll leave here and go after him. He's right; he can take care of himself. He's not helpless."

"You could have made him stay," Louis pointed out.

"I'm not going to take advantage of him, Lou," Harry mumbled.

Louis frowned. "It's not taking advantage of him if it's for his own good."

Harry stood to his full height, towering over Louis. Louis' head began to swim as Harry exuded alpha. He had to steady himself by placing a hand on the table he was standing next to. "Sit down and close your mouth, Louis." Louis couldn't drop into the chair fast enough and his teeth clacked together he shut them so hard. Harry instantly relaxed, regret flashing in his eyes. "It's taking advantage, Lou," he murmured. Once Louis' head stopped spinning, he pushed his chair back from the table. He frowned at Harry as he stood and walked off to the kitchen. Harry felt sick to his stomach; he hated using his class to control Louis. He rarely ever did. Louis always reacted poorly to it. Harry sighed, heading towards the kitchen.

He found Louis sitting on the wiped down counter swinging his feet as he stared down at the floor. Harry walked up to him, placing his hands on Louis' knees. "Look at me, Lou, please." Louis lifted his head. His eyes betrayed his hurt. "I'm sorry, baby." Harry pulled him tightly into his chest. He felt Louis breathing him in deeply. "I'm sorry," Harry said again. 

"It's okay. You were just making a point," Louis said quietly.

"I think I could have made my point in a better, less overt way."

Louis smiled wrapping his arm loosely around Harry's waist. "It's okay, really. I still love you."

Harry buried his face in Louis' hair, breathing him in just as deeply. Harry kissed the top of his head. "Have you heard from Liam?"

"It's only been two minutes, Haz. He's not got super speed or anything," Louis said pulling away from Harry's chest.

"I'm just worried is all. Maybe I should have..."

"No. It's definitely taking advantage," Louis said hopping off the counter. Harry started singing as he and Louis worked to finish cleaning up and making sure everything was set for the night. Louis began checking his phone more and more as Liam's ten minutes began to run out. "I still haven't heard from him, Haz," Louis said. "It's been long enough."

Harry frowned as his omega's nerves began to multiply with his own. He tried to maintain an outwardly calm manner, but he knew Louis could tell he was nervous too. "Maybe he was just really tired. Zayn always says he's usually asleep by now anyway. I'm sure it's fine."

"Liam wouldn't forget to text us though! He's more considerate than that. Something's wrong, something's wrong." Louis muttered as he began to pull on the ends of his hair, a nervous habit Harry wished he wasn't a slave to, but nonetheless.

"You'll go bald like that," Harry murmured stepping into Louis' space. He gripped Louis' wrist and moved it so that the boy was no longer pulling at his hair. "I'm sure he's fine, baby."

"No, you're not. Let's go. We have to check on him. C'mon, c'mon!" Louis said tugging Harry out of the kitchen. He bounced around Harry as the alpha locked the door. "Harry, hurry!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go." Harry took Louis' hand and began walking at a brisk pace down the sidewalk. He was trying to stay calm by telling himself that everything was okay, but a sudden banging from an alley up the street and a slight breeze gave him a whiff of... "Fuck," he hissed.

Louis cried out and ran forward.

"Louis, wait!" Harry shouted.

Louis was disappearing into the alley before Harry could stop him from running headlong into a possibly dangerous situation. Harry staggered at the entrance to the alley. The smell was overwhelming. Louis was crouched next to a shivering figure talking quickly and quietly. "It's okay, Li. It's just me and Harry. Li, can you hear me? Li...Liam...Harry!" Louis wailed.

Harry approached with his phone's flashlight on to be able to see better. The light first caught Louis, who was pale and obviously scared. Then..."Damn!" Harry growled. He turned away from the sight and dialed 9-1-1.

"Emergency services. What is your emergency?"

"There's been an attack, an assault of some sort I think. There's so much blood."

"Where, sir?"

"The, uh...the... alley beside 761 Honeywell street."

"What is your name and number?"

"Harry Styles. 875-009-2341. We need an ambulence. God, this is all my fault."

"How many people are invovled?"

"I...well, I know of one for sure..."

"Okay. How many people are injured?"

"Just one."

"Help is on the way. Do not hang up."

Harry nodded, then realized the operator couldn't see him and said, "Yeah, yeah. Okay."

Louis hovered over Liam's curled up figure. He petted at his hair and shoulder. Liam was just whimpering and crying. Louis didn't know what to do. There was blood. There seemed to be too much blood, but Louis wasn't a medical person. Harry walked towards them again, still on the phone with the emergency operator, but he stopped when Liam began to shake uncontrollably. Louis waved him away, but Harry just stepped a few feet back, unwilling to leave the two of them too far out of his reach. "It's just us, Liam." Louis' ears picked up the sound of the sirens fast approaching. "Just a bit longer, Li. Help is almost here. Can you open your eyes?" He'd seen plenty of people ask that on television. Louis reached out to pet at his shoulder agian, but Liam was to affected by Harry's proximity to really register what was actually happening. His ears still felt like they had cotton in them. He was relying on his sense of smell, and his cloudy brain wasn't registering the familiar smells. There were just two more scents. Were they here to attack him too?

Harry hung up the phone when the police and ambulance arrived. Harry pointed the paramedics to where Liam was curled up. Louis reached back to push himself up, but cried out bringing Harry instantly to his side. "What baby?"

"Harry, Harry my hand," Louis whispered. 

In the glancing light of the paramedics' flashlights, Harry looked down to see Louis' hand now stained red. His stomach turned, and he became aware of the paramedics shouting things at each other about...stabilizing Liam. Harry pulled Liam over to the emergency responders and began demanding answers. A paramedic wiped off Louis' hand, but told Harry he couldn't say anything except for what hospital they were going to. He was gone before Harry could ask anything more from him.

"Harry call Zayn," Louis said.

Harry pulled out his phone and dialed Zayn's number. "You need to come home. Now. It's Liam."


	9. Through the Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! Thank you again for all the support. Truly does mean a lot.

It had to be some sick, twisted nightmare. Any moment now he'd wake up and he and Liam would be snuggled under the blankets safe from the darkness. He wouldn't be standing outside a hospital room, looking through a window and seeing his mate laying on a white bed with two nurses and a doctor by him. Harry and Louis were standing a few feet to the side, holding each other as they watched on with Zayn. Zayn had one thing on his mind: get to Liam, but the security guard next to him was a reminder that tearing through the hospital like a mad man and screaming at people to let him be plastered to his mate's side was not an appropriate way of dealing with a hospital. Liam...Zayn whined as he was forced to watch through a window. His mate was lying there alone, bruised and scraped and in pain and he wasn't next to him to soothe it all away. Zayn's stomach churned as he stared at the cuts on Liam's face. They were angry and red. He had bruises on his shoulders and arms. But what worried Zayn more was the white bandage wrapped around Liam's head like a cap on a bottle. Liam had been pushed down and his head had split open. The doctors had assured Zayn that it wasn't as serious as it sounded, like his head hadn't fallen directly on the asphalt, but that didn't stop Zayn from worrying over the "minor concussion" Liam would have. Zayn was using his worry to hold the vengeful rage he felt stirring in the pit of his stomach. Liam was his first priority; ripping the head from the shoulders of the person responsible was a very close second.

The two nurses preceded the doctor out of Liam's room. The doctor pulled the door closed and slowly approached Zayn. "Are you Mr. Malik?" she asked. 

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm Dr. Nagu," she extended her hand which Zayn shook. "Liam is going to be okay. We'd like to keep him hear to monitor his condition. Is that acceptable?"

Zayn nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You'll do a better job than I could."

Dr. Nagu smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "Mr. Malik, there's something else I have to tell you."

Zayn gulped. "Yeah?"

"Liam's attack was brutal. I'm so sorry to tell you this..." Dr. Nagu took a deep breath. "The baby was lost. I'm so, so sorry."

Zayn felt dizzy, like his blood was rushing around his body and he couldn't get enough air. Dr. Nagu was saying something to him, but Zayn was no longer listening. He stumbled forward, fumbling with the door until he got it open. He staggered to Liam's bed and clutched his mate's hand as he fell to his knees. "Liam, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry." He felt hot tears pricking at his eyes and a warm hand petting at his head that had fallen against the soft mattress of the hospital bed. Zayn lifted his teary eyes to meet Liam's soft brown ones. "Princess," Zayn breathed giving Liam a quick peck, or trying to, but Liam flinched away from the proximity. Zayn's smile fell into a line as he rocked back to his knees. Liam almost opened his mouth, but Zayn cut him off. "Don't say anything, princess. I understand it's too much right now."

Liam whimpered and squeezed Zayn's hand. "Baby?" he croaked. Zayn turned his head away and tried to blink back the tears, but Liam was squeezing his hand to get his attention. "Baby?" his scratchy voice tried again.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Liam."

Liam's face fell and turned away from Zayn. He heard his heart beat monitor speed up, but it's pace didn't match the one his head was spinning at. The sadness pressing upon him made it hard to breath, hard to catch one thought to hold on to. He'd lost the baby. He'd let down both the baby and Zayn. He should have just waited and walked home with Harry and Louis. None of this would have happened and he woudln't have had...he didn't want to remember. He just wanted to move forward. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out. Feeling the water on his cheeks, Liam didn't hold back the stronger sobs that wracked and pained his body. So much had been lost because he hadn't seen reason. He could feel Zayn hovering, not sure what to do. This made Liam cry harder. Everything was ruined because he'd been an idiot. The dark was a scary place and he'd laughed in the face of danger. Unlike Simba, Liam hadn't had a Mufasa to come and rescue him from the hyenas. Liam sucked in a shuddering breath, feeling like he still hadn't brought any oxygen into his body when someone knocked on the door and slowly opened it. 

"Zayn?" Harry asked.

Zayn turned from hovering without properly touching Liam to the door. "Yeah?" His voice sounded strangled.

"There are two detectives here who'd like to talk to you."

Zayn nodded and turned back to Liam. "I'm going to kiss you." Zayn leaned over and pressed his lips gently to Liam's temple. He told Liam before he started running a hand through his hair. He waited until Liam's sobs had become less full-body affairs and more sniffles as Liam's tears ran out. "I'm going to talk to the detectives that are here, princess. I'll be right back. I love you." With a final squeeze to Liam's hand and one last kiss to the temple, Zayn left the room. Liam was sure Zayn's actions were meant to be comforting, but he was too numb now. The pain from crying, from losing everything he cherished was too much. 

Zayn left the door slightly ajar when he met the detectives outside. One was a tall, thick guy who was wearing a button down shirt and a slightly loose tie and the other was a woman with a stern face but kind eyes. "Hello Mr. Malik," the man began. "I'm Detective Stabler and this is my partner Detective Benson. We're with the special victims unit."

"Hello, detectives."

"We're here to investigate the attack on your mate."

Zayn looked away and swallowed the angry growl. "I guess that's better than me doing it myself," he mumbled. 

The detectives smiled, but they weren't happy smiles. "Is Liam awake?" Detective Benson asked.

"Yeah," Zayn sighed.

"Can I talk to him?" she asked.

Zayn nodded. "Yeah you can. I don't know if he'll be okay with that. Let me go ask." Zayn slipped back into the room. "Liam?" he called softly squeezing his mate's hand. Liam's head rolled against the pillow until he was looking at Zayn. Zayn felt dizzy and upset all over again at the blank look on Liam's face. "One of the detectives would like to talk to you. She's very nice and they want to help. Will you talk to her?" 

Liam just turned and blinked at him.

Zayn waved Detective Benson in. She moved slightly slower than a normal pace, but Zayn appreciated it. Any faster and he was scared Liam would freak out. "Hi, Liam. I'm Olivia. I'm a detective with the special victims unit. I'd like to help catch whoever did this to you. Can you tell me what happened?" She smiled down at Liam who looked back at her with wide eyes. Zayn felt the nerves start to roll off Liam. He squeezed his hand as silent encouragement, but the action had Liam looking at him again. Liam remained quiet, not saying anything. "I promise whoever did this won't be able to hurt you again." Still Liam said nothing. Olivia motioned for Zayn to step over to the door. "Mr. Malik-"

Zayn interupted telling her, "Call me Zayn, please."

"Zayn, sometimes victims of sexual assault don't want to tell their families what happened. Would you mind stepping out, just for a moment? It might help Liam tell me what happened," Olivia asked quietly. 

Zayn ran a hand through his hair. He glanced out the window to see Harry and Louis talking to Detective Stabler. He was loathe to leave Liam, but if it'd help him feel more comfortable talking about what happened to him, then he would. "Okay, just let me say something to him?"

"Of course."

Zayn knelt next to Liam. "Liam, I'm going to step outside so you and Olivia are alone. Please let them help. They're the only thing from keeping me from going on a vigilante killing spree. They can do more for you right now than I can. Please let them help."

"Okay," Liam said.

Zayn stepped outside and kept a nervous eye on Olivia and Liam through the window until he was approached by Detective Stabler, "I understand from your neighbor that you were out of town."

"Are you saying I did this?" Zayn growled.

"Not at all," Detective Stabler said, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. 

"I was," Zayn said, the admission sucking the bravado out of him. 

"I'll tell you what I told your neighbors. Don't blame yourself. You didn't know this would happen."

"That just means I should have known," Zayn mumbled.

Detective Stabler's lips turned down in a grimace before he said, "Do you know of anyone that wanted to hurt him?"

"Everybody that knew Liam loved him." 


	10. Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I've gotten some of my favorite comments so far over the past couple of days and even in the last few hours. Thanks for reading and for the support. Means the absolute world to me.

Zayn eased Liam out of the hospital wheelchair and into the passenger seat of the car. He was about to buckle Liam in, but Liam pushed hard enough for Zayn to notice and buckled himself in. Dr. Nagu was standing beside the wheelchair with a sad smile on her face. Zayn had basically lived at the hospital for the past four days and he and the doctor had become good friends. "He's going to be just fine, Zayn. It'll take him time to recover, but I have a feeling he will. If you need anything or have any questions, here's my personal number." Dr. Nagu handed Zayn a business card that had a number scribbled on the back. 

Zayn pocketed the card. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course, dear. Now get yourselves home. It's been long enough."

Zayn waved before he dropped into the driver's seat and pulled away from the hospital. He didn't say anything as they drove. He hadn't said much of anything the past four days. It was hard to talk to Liam without thinking about what they were trying so hard not to talk about. They could keep up a light chatter for about five minutes which felt like so little after months of conversations that sometimes lasted all night. Zayn wasn't sure what to say to Liam exactly. He didn't want to just not talk about the attack because that might seem like he's ignoring this major thing, but he didn't know how to delicately bring it up. There'd been moments at the hospital when they'd been silent for hours and Liam had only looked at him when he wasn't looking at Liam when Zayn wanted to just tell Liam to talk about it. Force the story out of him so that Zayn could do something. But he knew that would be awful, and he'd never forgive himself.

Detectives Benson and Stabler had stopped by, but with no promising updates. The hospital had done a rape kit, but the DNA was only in the system in conjunction with a cold case from a few years back. That was a lead, but it seemed the victim hadn't supplied any other information than her name: Eloise Berk. The perpetrator hadn't ever been in the system before, but now he'd struck again. That was something, but neither of the victims had seen their attacker. (Olivia told him that bit, but nothing more.) Zayn was going to go mad if they couldn't find this guy. It was bad enough that he'd attacked Liam, but he'd attacked another omega as well. Zayn's grip on the steering wheel tightened subconsciously. When Elliot and Olivia caught this guy, Zayn was going to beg them to let him have five minutes alone with the bastard. Wouldn't need to even waste tax payers' dollars on a trial or anything.

"What?"

Zayn was startled by the sudden question from Liam. "I was just, um, fantasizing about ripping his head off."

"Oh. I'd rather you not," Liam said.

"Rather I not fantasize or rather I not rip his head off?"

"Both, I guess," Liam mumbled. "I just want to forget it."

"But-"

"Zayn," Liam said, his voice sounding old and tired.

Zayn closed his mouth and didn't say anything else even after they got back to the apartment. Liam walked in after Zayn opened the door and went straight to their bedroom, closing the door before Zayn could follow him in. Zayn raised his hand to knock, but thought better of it. Liam obviously didn't want to talk about it. Zayn rested his forehead against the door. He started singing softly. Liam had always liked his singing. Zayn almost pitched forward when his mate opened the door suddenly. "I'd like to take a nap. Didn't sleep well at the hospital."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just be out here, okay?"

Liam nodded and closed the door again. He turned to the dark bedroom and began looking it over again. The bed was still made, not slept in since Thursday night. Some of Zayn's clothes Liam had planned on washing on Saturday were still piled in front of their closet. Liam glanced in the mirror hanging off the back of the door, but he didn't want to see himself. He was a disgrace. Olivia had told him this wasn't his fault, but there were so many things he could have and should have done he just couldn't believe her. Now Zayn was worried and missing school. Liam dragged his hands over his face. He just couldn't do anything right. 

**THE NEXT DAY...**

The bedroom door opened with a soft click and even softer footsteps could just be heard as Liam moved out of the bedroom for the first time in twelve hours. Zayn lifted his head off the back of the couch where he'd let it fall as he pretended to watch whatever was on television. "Hey," he said softly, his voice cracking a bit from lack of use. 

Liam froze as he pulled a box of crackers out of the cabinet. "Hi," his voice only a whisper.

"Do you want me to make you something more substantial than crackers?"

Liam slowly pulled the box down and held it in front of him. "I don't know if I'm feeling up to anything more," he admitted.

"Okay, okay. Uh..." Zayn didn't want Liam to go back into the bedroom. He wanted to spend a little time in his presence at least. "Liam," he called before his mate could disappear again. Liam paused and looked at him. "Will you come sit on the couch with me? Just for a bit?"

"Just for a bit," Liam whispered. The omega came back to the living room and curled up on the far end of the couch. Zayn took what he could get.

"Not this commercial again," Zayn grumbled.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

"These ridiculous pills. Some idiot's get-rich-quick scheme," Zayn mumbled.

Liam munched on a couple of crackers as he watched the commercial trying to get what bothered Zayn about it so much.

"...My mate and I were getting a bit bored in the bedroom. There's only so much a guy can do..." Liam blushed. This was uncomfortable. "...She never even saw it coming.  _A-Plus_ pills are little purple miracle workers." The camera swung to the talking guy's mate who was sprawled obscenely in bed. She smiled slowly. "I've never felt better." The scene cut to a bottle of pills against an orange background. A general announcer was talking quickly about the possible side effects of the pills "... _A-Plus_ pills may take up to an hour to take full effect. Please allow time for the pills to take effect to avoid further disappointment..." _  
_

Liam dropped the box of crackers. "That's it! That's why...where'd you put Olivia's number?" Liam leaped off the couch and grabbed the phone. Zayn was next to him in seconds. He handed his mate the detectives' business card so he could call Olivia. "Hi, Olivia?... This is Liam Malik... Yeah, I'm doing a little better... Uh, I think that the guy used those  _A-Plus_ pills... Well I just saw a commercial and it said that the pills might not take effect right away. I remember that his alpha aura came over me suddenly and, well, now that seems a little weird cause if he was really an alpha shouldn't that have been not an all-of-the-sudden thing? I just was thinking...it sounds silly now... You really think so?... Okay. Thanks. Yeah, yeah. Bye." Liam hung up the phone. Zayn was staring at him. "What?" Liam asked nervously, tugging at the end of the t-shirt he was wearing.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile in five days," Zayn said, his voice sounding overly awed.

Liam dropped his gaze to the floor. 

"So you think that he used those pills?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. I feel like if he'd really been an alpha, he would have used it a little sooner. I put up a fight."

Zayn reached out, but didn't touch Liam. He still wasn't sure if Liam was okay with that, but he didn't know how to ask him. He should probably just ask. 

"It's okay, Zayn. You can touch me."

Zayn smiled, wrapping his arm around Liam's shoulders. The omega tensed up at the touch and the pull, but the scent of his alpha soothed his frayed nerves. He tentatively put his arms around Zayn's waist. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you," Zayn murmured.


	11. Eloise Beck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Hope you all are enjoying your day!

Liam lingered in the kitchen as Zayn pulled on his jacket and grabbed his keys. He and Zayn had talked about Zayn going back to work today. Zayn wanted to stay home, but Liam insisted he go back. Liam promised he would be okay and that if he needed Zayn, he would call. The detectives had started looking into  _A-Plus_ pills two nights ago after Liam had called them, but so far, there hadn't been any updates yet. 

"And if it's an emergency, call Harry or Louis. They're closer than I am, okay?" Zayn said as he stalled at the door.

Liam stepped up and pecked his lips and patted his chest. "I'm going to be here all day. I invited Ellie over. And I will call Harry or Louis if it's an emergency."

"I really don't want to go," Zayn murmured. He'd been away for the last week and would gladly be gone until Liam was always smiling and not crying. Liam smiled up at him, but shooed him out the door. "I'll be back at 2:30," Zayn said firmly before casting Liam one last long look as he exited the apartment. 

Liam let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. With Zayn gone, Liam felt like there was a little less pressure on him at the moment. He wanted Zayn to worry about him a little less, so he tried to be moving and smiling a little. His mom had always told him  _Fake it until you make it_. Liam had always hated hearing that. If he wanted to be upset, why should he pretend to be happy? It was only going to make him more upset by having to pretend. But he sort of understood the phrase now. Him being obviously upset, bothered Zayn and Zayn hadn't done anything wrong. Liam had been in the wrong. Liam dropped onto the couch in the silent apartment. He had made so many mistakes that caused him to be attacked. He dropped his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes when they began to get bored with tracing patterns on the ceiling.

_"What's a pretty bitch like you doing walking alone in the dark?"_

"Zayn, help!" Liam yelped waking himself up from the nightmare he'd slipped into. He was slightly disoriented from being torn from the dark alley to be dropped on the living room couch.

Someone paused in their knocking on the door and renewed the action with sudden vigor. "Liam? Liam let me in!" came a familiar voice muffled by the door. 

Liam pushed himself off the couch and opened the door slowly. Ellie was there looking a little panicked. "Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

"Not really, but I'm not in any danger here."

He let her in as she was saying, "I heard you shout. I didn't know if you were okay or not."

"How have you been, Ellie?"

Ellie tried to suppress the grin Liam knew she wanted to let out, but a small smile still showed up. "I'm fine, Li."

"What's that smile for?" Ellie sighed, but lifted her hair to reveal the side of her throat. White bite marks glowed under the kitchen lights. "Ellie that's wonderful! Congratulations!" Liam wrapped her in a tight hug and swung her around. "Oh this calls for a celebration! I think Harry brought left over cake last night." Liam opened the fridge and offered his best friend a slice of Harry's chocolate fudge cake. Ellie took a slice and a fork to the living room.

"Thank you, Li. Seeley is practically unbearable now," she said with an eye roll. "I thought he was protective before, but now it's like anyone who looks at me gets a death growl."

Liam chuckled. "Yeah? I don't think it ever goes away. Zayn is still pretty bad too."

"I think it's got something to do with them being alpha's. You don't see betas trying to rip people's throats out for coughing next to me."

"Betas are much calmer and level-headed," Liam agreed.

The two were silent until Ellie finsihed her cake and asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened last Friday?"

"Not really," Liam said his face and mood instantly becoming gloomy.

"I was the same way, but then my best friend told me talking about it might help me work out what exactly happened. He also told me it wasn't my fault. That I hadn't asked for it. That I was more than 'a pretty bitch'."

Liam's head snapped up at those words. "What?"

"Liam, I'm talking about you. You're the one who told me that," Ellie said giving him a weird look. 

"Can I ask you something about that night?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Did you know right away that the guy was an alpha, or did it, like, overwhelm you suddenly?"

"I was overwhelmed, but my shock might have-"

Liam was up and pacing, moving faster than he had in a few days. He remember clearly the morning Ellie had arrived at his door. She'd left her parent's home and hid in his house for six months. He'd thought it odd when she demand that he call her Ellie instead of her name, but then she'd explained everything. "I think we might have been attacked by the same guy," Liam said. "He called me a 'pretty bitch' too. Did he attack you at night?"

"You know that, Liam. I was attacked in a dark alley as I was walking home from class at the community college. God, that was an awful class. More focused on general history than music history."

"We need to call the detectives," Liam said.

"Liam, Liam wait. Listen to me," Ellie said from the couch. Liam stopped, phone in hand. "Liam, I barely told the police anything. I was embarrassed and scared and I couldn't see the guy anyway. The records are sparse and incomplete at best. It's not going to help. Anybody can call anyone a 'pretty bitch'."

**BACK AT THE STATION...**

Olivia Benson rested her head on her arms, dropping her head against her man-made pillow to take a break from looking through the computerized lists of everyone who has bought _A-Plus_ pills in bulk around the times of Eloise Beck's attack and Liam's. Elliot Stabler came back to his desk with two cups of coffee. "Guess you haven't found anything."

"Not yet. At least not in my stack. Thanks for the coffee," Olivia said raising her cup to Elliot. "What about you?"

"None of them in common. It's just a bunch of self-conscious betas. Even a couple of omegas," Elliot commented.

Olivia's eyebrows rose slightly at the comment. "To each their own."

Munch came over with a folder of faxed-over papers. "I tracked down the officers who worked on Eloise Beck's case originally. It turns out they are the ones who helped her disappear. She went completely underground for six months with an undisclosed friend and then emerged as Ellie Baldwin. She's a tough little thing to find, but I did and she's close. I tried to get them to give me the friend's name, but they wouldn't budge."

"Munch do you know anything about a Rodger Truent?" Elliot asked.

"No, why?" 

"Because he was buying these alpha pill things every two weeks and then suddenly stopped a few weeks after Eloise's attack."

"I can go find out."

"Did Munch say Ellie Baldwin?" Olivia asked Elliot.

"Yeah, Liv, you just heard him."

"Liam's best friend is named Ellie. I don't know the last name, but what if it's her? Did anyone pick up Rodger Truent's buying habits?"

Elliot turned to his computer. "He was the last on my list." Olivia's computer started beeping. Elliot furrowed his brow, "What's that for?"

"Thomas Parker. He bought a bottle of pills every two weeks since Eloise's attack. He just bought a new bottle yesterday." 

 


	12. With Your Ears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this posted. I wrote some earlier, but then lost it when I accidentally closed the page without saving it. I thought I was going to cry. Anyway...hope you enjoy!

Olivia and Elliot pulled up to the apartment building on a gray Friday afternoon. They got out and walked calmly up to the front doors. A couple innocent tenants looked up from getting their mail when Elliot knocked on the inner door and the cops showed them their badges. The tenants were quick to open it. Elliot and Olivia thanked them and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. They turned right and knocked on number 4. Thomas Parker opened the door with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?"

They displayed their badges. "Police. We'd like to ask you a few questions," Elliot answered.

Mr. Parker nodded wearily. "Okay. Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, not here, Mr. Parker. Down at the station. You're our number one suspect," Olivia said.

Thomas smirked. "In what?"

"The attack on Liam Malik, first of all. Then we can talk about Eloise Beck. We're a little fuzzy on those details, but I'm sure you can help us," Olivia explained.

"Liam? You think I attacked Liam?" Thomas laughed. "I adore Liam. Why would I attack him?"

_Tom Parker, my neighbor, has been acting really strange lately. He's been very...I guess a good word would be focused...on Liam. He came to my show at the gallery which was weird because I never invite anyone and he hadn't gone to any of them before. At least I was there to protect him then. But Tom and I have been friends and co-workers for a few years now...he's just been so weird lately._

"Because you can't have him. Now are we going to have to make a scene, or will you just come nicely?" Elliot asked.

Tom glanced down the hall. "Let's put on a show, detective." He offered up his hands which Elliot twisted behind him and cuffed while Olivia recited Tom's rights. Tom was chuckling as he was lead towards the elevator.

Zayn got off the elevator that arrived to pick up the detectives. His face was a mix of anger and confusion. "Tom?"

Olivia stepped up, her hands in clear sight. "Zayn, he's just a suspect right now. Go to Liam." Zayn hesitated. If Tom did this, then he would kill him. How could his coworker and _friend_ do this to him? "Liam, Zayn, go home to Liam."

"Yeah Zayn. Don't let someone _else_ give your bitch exactly what he really wants," Tom taunted.

Elliot jerked Tom back and slammed him into the wall next to the elevator. "Anything you say can and will be used against you, Mr. Parker."

"I didn't say anything of importance," Tom growled.

Zayn moved slowly around Detective Benson and backed towards his apartment. He unlocked the door and it was opened by Liam. Liam peered down the hall to where the detectives were dragging Tom into the elevator. Tom caught his eye and winked. Liam gasped out of shock because of Tom's wink and Zayn's too-quick movements to get him back inside the apartment. Liam was confused and sat down on the couch next to Ellie. Zayn looked at the two and sighed. He dropped his bag by the door before going to the bedroom to change out of his dress pants and button-down shirt. He always changed before talking to Liam; he was more comfortable and able to relax as he talked about his day if he was in sweats and a t-shirt. Usually he said hello, but today was about not tearing his neighbor's head off. Zayn was now convinced that Tom had attacked Liam. The comment he'd made was all the proof Zayn would ever need. If Tom managed to evade punishment, Zayn would move Liam far, far away from here and then they could have their happily ever after. With a deep breath, Zayn returned to the living room. "Hello, princess," Zayn murmured as he kissed the top of Liam's head.

"Hi," Liam said quietly. "Do the detectives think that Tom attacked me?"

"It would seem so," Zayn said grabbing a drink from the fridge.

Liam chewed on his lip as he thought about it. Tom had always been so nice. "But he's sort of our friend?"

"They told me-" Ellie began but stopped. The past was not something she wanted to relive again.

"They told you what?" Zayn asked.

"Zayn," Liam reprimanded.

"It's fine, Liam. After I was attacked the cops told me that a lot of times, the bad guy is someone that the victim knows."

**BACK AT THE STATION...**

"Thomas Parker...buying  _A-Plus_ pills for two years now. You go through a bottle every two weeks. That's a lot of pills," Elliot said. "What are you a beta?"

"You already know that, detective."

Elliot smirked. "Did you lie to a pretty omega or something and they said yes because they thought you were an actual alpha?"

Tom sat silently keeping his eyes on Elliot.

"How many pills do you take a day, Mr. Parker?"

"It's on the label. I only take the recommended amount."

Elliot studied the bottle for a moment, but said, "You'll have to tell me how many that is, Tom. I can't read this small print."

"One pill."

"But it wears off eventually right? Then you lose the power and control the pills give you, don't you?"

Again, Tom said nothing.

"Tell me, Tom, what did Liam or Eloise ever do to you? Why'd you attack them?"

"I didn't attack Liam or this Eloise girl."

"Oh." Elliot sat back in his chair. "Then you wouldn't mind giving us a sample of your DNA. We just want to be sure you're in the clear."

"Don't you need a warrant for that?"

"Not if you cooperate with us, and if-"

A "breathless" Olivia popped into the interogation room at that moment. "Elliot, it's not him. Munch found an alpha living above a pizza resturaunt who matches the DNA we've got. We've got to get him before he hurts anyone else."

Elliot rose to his feet. "Well, Mr. Parker, looks like this was all a misunderstanding. Sorry about that."

Neither of the detectives missed the way Tom's face fell as they began to walk quickly out of the station. Tom's chair scraped against the floor as he rose to follow after the detectives. "Wait! Don't you still want my DNA? What if this guy isn't good for both of the attacks?"

Olivia and Elliot shared a look before turning to the beta trailing after them. "Is that a cry for attention or a confession, Mr. Parker?" Olivia asked.

"Don't you want to be sure?" Tom asked Elliot ignoring Olivia since he didn't know how to respond to her.

"It wouldn't hurt to be sure, Liv," Elliot said to his partner.

"Okay, well, why don't you take him down to the M.E. and I'll get Fin to help me with this alpha Munch found." Elliot nodded and led Tom down the hallway to the M.E.'s office. Olivia sat at her desk and picked up the phone. She called Liam who answered on the thrid ring. "Hey, Liam. It's Olivia. I was wondering if you would be able to come down to the station and try to identify you're attacker."

"But I didn't see him," Liam murmured.

"I know, but you heard him. You told me what he said and we made a script. We'll have the guys in the line up read it and you can try and recognize their voice. Would you be up for that?"

"Uh...yeah. Could I bring Zayn?"

Olivia smiled though Liam couldn't see it. "Of course. I have another question. Your friend Ellie, what's her last name?"

"Baldwin. Why?"

"Did she go by another name ever?" Olivia asked ignoring Liam's request for more information.

"Yeah. She changed it from Eloise to Ellie a couple years ago. She was attacked and changed her identity a bit."

"Do you think you could ask her if she'd be willing to come down to the line up too? We know you two were attacked by the same guy and if she recognizes the same voice it'd help solidify our case even more."

"She's here right now. Let me ask her...yeah, she said she'll come. Is it all right if her mate comes along too?"

"Of course it is," Olivia assured him. "Can the four of you be down here in half an hour?" 

"Yeah. See you then."

Liam hung up just as Elliot and Tom started coming back to the main room. Olivia motioned for Fin to help her wrestle their actor into the holding cell to try and convince Tom that they actually did have another suspect in custody and that he was off the hook. Tom watched with silent disdain, like he believed he was better than the actor being thrown in the holding cell. Olivia and Elliot shared a look before Elliot started talking to Tom, "So, while we're waiting for the DNA results, would you like to help us with a line up? We've got a couple extra spaces and you can get a bit of cash for filling one. All you have to do is read a script. It's not that hard."

Tom shrugged. "Sure. I've got nothing better to do." Elliot led him to the break room so he could snack a bit if he wanted before the line up. 

A half hour later, Zayn, Liam, Ellie, and Seeley walked into the station. They were led to Olivia's desk to talk with the detective before going to the line up. Liam was curled into Zayn, overwhelmed by the many alphas and betas in the station. There were a couple of omegas, but they were more beta than omega. Ellie looked around while she held tightly to Seeley's hand. Olivia introduced herself to Ellie and Seeley before leading the four of them to the small room on the other side of the mirror into the area where the men would be standing for the line up. "So we've got seven men who will come into the other room in a couple of minutes. You can see them, but they can't see you. Ellie, we believe that the same man attacked you and Liam, that's why we asked you to come down. I know neither of you really saw your attacker, but we've got some phrases he said from Liam and were hoping you both might recognize his voice. Are you sure you're both up for this?" Ellie nodded earning a her a kiss from Seeley. Liam was obviously distressed, so Zayn wrapped an arm around his shoulders and murmured a few things in his ear. Liam nodded after a few moments. "Alright. So if you recognize anyone, let us know." Olivia motioned to a man outside their room and a moment later, seven men entered the other room. Zayn's arm tightened even more around Liam when he saw Tom. Liam felt a sense of dread as he looked at all the men. They began reading once everyone got in line. The words were the only thing affecting Liam, and then Tom began to read...

_What's a pretty bitch like you doing out alone in the dark?...Keep that pretty mouth quiet or I'll keep it quiet myself, got it?...I told you to be quiet..._

Liam cried out like he'd been slapped again and curled further into Zayn hiding his face against his chest. His whole body trembled. Zayn lifted him and took him out the door Olivia opened for him. Ellie stared through the one-way mirror as Tom read the last few lines. The big man next to him with a surly face began to read, but she was no longer listening. 

"Number four. That's him. That's the guy who attacked me," Ellie said. Seeley growled lowly, a warning only heard by Ellie and Olivia. Olivia kept her eyes on Tom who stood there with a smirk plastered on his face.

 


	13. The Defense Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! So this story is coming to an end. I don't know if the arresting and the dealing with Tom is feeling rushed, but I'm trying to avoid this becoming a huge project. It's feels decent for me. Let me know what you're feeling or thinking. I love your comments. They make me want to write so much more. Which is really affecting my focus in class...oh well.

Zayn gently pushed Liam's hands away from the silk fabric of the tie he was trying to put on and having no luck with it. Zayn tried to catch his eye, but Liam kept his gaze focused on their feet. "Are you ready for this?" Zayn murmured.

Liam shrugged. "I guess I am. Olivia said it would really help the DA. Just one more nail in the coffin."

"She also said you didn't have to do this."

"I can do it Zayn. I'm a big boy." He used to say he could take care of himself, but going through this trial was just a reminder that he really couldn't. 

Zayn noted the absence of the phrase and finished it for him, "You can take care of yourself." Liam jerked his head up to meet Zayn's eyes. Zayn could see the war going on in Liam's head; it was etched into every single one of his features. Zayn reached up and gingerly placed his hand on Liam's cheek. His mate closed his eyes and rested his head on the hand. Liam seemed to relax a little, but when his eyes re-opened, Zayn could tell he still didn't believe he could take care of himself. "I love you." The tears Zayn had come to associate with Liam's reaction to those words since the attack sprang up as Liam returned the sentiment. One slipped out this time, and Zayn wiped it away with his thumb. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

Liam nodded, letting Zayn pull him along by a loose grip on his hand. The drive to the courthouse wasn't long, but it was long enough that Liam had worked himself into a nervous stomach ache by the time Zayn parked. Zayn told Liam to stay put as he got out and walked over to the passenger side door. He opened it and knelt next to Liam. "Princess, look at me." Liam hesitantly raised his head from it's tucked position on his chest. Zayn was crouching, so Liam was still looking down, but it was more comfortable than having his chin on his chest. "I'm not going to tell you that you don't have to do this again. I know if you didn't want to or weren't ready to, you wouldn't. I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you. You're so brave. Lots of people don't want to do this, but you are. I love you, so much, and I'll be there in the courtroom with you. You won't be alone. You don't have to scared." Zayn lifted himself slightly so he could kiss Liam's lips, but he kept it brief so they wouldn't be late and Liam wouldn't get too nervous with Zayn's proximity. He hadn't said anything that made Zayn worry about freaking Liam out, but if they were going to be close, Zayn would rather have Liam initiate it so that he was certain Liam was okay with it. Zayn held out his hand for Liam to take and together they entered the courtroom. 

Like every other day of this trial, Olivia and Elliot met them and walked them to the courtroom. The prosecutor met them in the hall outside the courtroom. She was tall, confident, and blonde. "Good morning, Liam. How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Liam admitted.

"That's okay. Just take your time today and you'll be fine. I won't be doing anything deep; the jury already knows what happens. I don't know what the defense will do, but I'll be very alert and keep them on track. Just remember to breathe, okay?"

Liam nodded. Zayn squeezed his hand and then they were going in the courtroom. The defense attorney was sitting at his table, all files closed and a pen twirling in his fingers. He was a friend of Tom's, doing his friend a favor. There were a couple of Tom's friends and family on his half of the courtroom, but there were more people on Liam's. Doniya and her mate were there as were Ellie and Seeley. Emma was there, and Liam had heard Zayn tell her to stop glaring at Tom or the poor bastard's head would surely explode. Emma had promptly told him to shut his big mouth and be ready to hold her back if anything went wrong. Mrs. Stanford and a few other people from the gallery were there too. Liam couldn't remember ever seeing Mrs. Stanford so grim. 

"All rise for the honorable Judge Harmon," the court officer announced. 

The room promptly jumped to it's feet as the judge in his billowing black robes entered the room. He sat himself in his chair and called the court to order. "Prosecutor, you may begin," he grumbled. He'd never sounded anything but tired while overseeing the proceedings of the room.

"The prosecution calls Liam Malik to the stand."

Liam walked over to the witness stand and swore to tell the whole truth so help him God. The attorney smiled at him and began her questions. They were all simple: what, when, how, who. She kept the questions simple so that his answers were simple, but then it was the defense's turn.

The lawyer stood up, smoothed his coat, and walked towards Liam. He oozed overconfident beta which was almost worse than him just being a regular confident alpha. "So, Liam, you're an omega, right?"

"Yes."

"And you're not on any suppressants or anything, is that correct?"

"That's correct."

The lawyer nodded, rubbing his chin as if in thought. "Why aren't you taking them?"

"Objection. Relevance?" The prosecutor said.

"It will all become clear, if I may continue."

"I'll allow it," Judge Harmon growled. "Answer the question."

"I don't take suppressants because I don't like the possible side-effects."

"Even if they could help you mask the fact that you're an omega?"

"Yes. I didn't every worry about being attacked before."

"Interesting. You weren't scared even when there are always so many reports of omegas being attacked?"

Liam shifted in his seat. "It's a psychological thing, but yes. I knew the chances were slim that I would personally be attacked."

"So on the night Mr. Parker allegedly attacked you, what were you doing?"

"I was walking home from the resturaunt a block from my house."

"And you were by yourself?"

"Yes."

The lawyer nodded again, an amused smirk slowly forming. "So you, a pregnant omega, went walking in the dark by yourself. It was after midnight wasn't it?"

"I was walking by myself and yes, it was after midnight."

The lawyer's shoulders shook in a quiet chuckle. "Did you not think your raging hormones might attract some unwanted attention? Did you think you were invincible pregnant and mated? You must have, since you turned down walking home with your neighbors. You were practically screaming 'I'm lonely! I'm an omega!'"

"Objection!" the prosecutor shouted. 

"Sustained," Judge Harmon boomed in his gravelly voice. "The defense will reign in their line of questioning or this witness will be dismissed."

The defense lawyer raised his hands in surrender, but was still smirking. "So, walking alone pregnant, with no suppressants to mask your hormones, was not a way of asking for some...attention?"

Liam glanced at Zayn who was obviously barely keeping his cool. He smiled to reassure him and then began to speak. "I was walking to a local restaurant. I was alone and pregnant, but that doesn't mean I was asking for it. I didn't want to be attacked. I didn't want to lose my baby. I shouldn't be afraid to walk down the street. I shouldn't be looking over my shoulder when I'm alone to make sure no one is planning on attacking me. I was not asking for it."

The defense lawyer had stopped his pacing and stared at him. "What?"

The whole courtroom displayed the same look of confusion. 

Liam glanced around before answering hesitantly, "I wasn't asking for it."

"No, no, about the baby. Aren't you pregnant?"

"I was, but the attack caused me to miscarry."

The defense lawyer's body seemed to deflate. He walked back to his table and flipped through his file until he found Liam's medical records. In front of the entire courtroom he read through it all for the first time. The prosecutor looked between the defense attorney and the judge. "Your honor...?"

"Does the defense have anything else to say ask the witness?" Judge Harmon asked.

"No, no. Uh, the defense requests a fifteen minute recess, please your honor."

"Any objection from the prosecution?" Judge Harmon asked.

"None here."

"Court will reconvene in fifteen minutes." Judge Harmon accented his declaration with a bang of his gavel.

**ONE DAY LATER...**

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Harmon asked.

"We have, your honor."

"How do you find the defendant?"

"We find the defendant guilty on all charges."

Zayn wrapped Liam tightly in his arms as their side cheered wildly at the reading of the verdict. The judge was telling the court officers to remand Mr. Parker. Zayn shook hands with the prosecution and then held Liam close to him. Ellie smiled and pecked Liam's cheek as she and Seeley were leaving. Mrs. Stanford was wiping her eyes and hugging them both. Liam smiled at everyone, but he was exhausted and just wanted to go home. Before he and Zayn left, Liam looked at the prosecutor and said, "Thank you." 

 


	14. Always and Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!

Liam curled up under the blankets in the dark bedroom. The defense lawyer's words still rang in his head weeks after the trial. Sure he didn't ask to be attacked, nor did he want what Tom had given him, but there were too many "should have"s and he'd worked very hard to move past them, but the trial had been a painful memory that kept replaying as time pushed on. There were nights where the nightmares would have him tossing and turning, and as he woke up, he could hear Zayn trying to be as quiet as possible while he left. Liam was sure Zayn thought sleeping next to an alpha was the cause of his nightmares, but Liam didn't know how to tell him no-at least not at the moment it occurred. Then in the morning, it was a silent agreement between the two that they didn't mention the previous night. Now, Zayn was on the couch without having to be told, and Liam was in the bedroom trying to relax after a long day of errand running. Part of him was glad to have the space, but a larger part of him wanted Zayn in the dark with him. His own self-inflicted shame and embarrassment kept him in bed. Zayn hadn't even asked. Maybe the trial had made him realize Liam was hopeless. Who wanted a mate who couldn't take care of himself or their unborn child? Liam whimpered at the thought. He hadn't told anyone, but he'd decided on a name. He'd gotten the results of his first trimester tests a few minutes after Zayn had left for the gallery retreat. He'd asked the nurse for the gender of his baby; it would have been a girl, and he'd would have named her Rose. A few tears fell-he'd cried so much over the past weeks his eyes were almost dry-as he thought of their lost little girl. Liam worked on moving his thoughts out of the dark place he was in, but it was difficult without help. 

Liam uncurled from the tight ball he'd wrapped himself into and opened the bedroom door. He braced himself against the door frame as the smell of arousal washed over him. His brow furrowed. Why had Zayn not come to him? It was Liam's job, his duty to help him. Liam walked into the living room, shedding his pants as he went. "Zayn? What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Zayn was sitting on the couch with his head tilted back and his eyes closed as his hand teased himself under his pants. His eyes fluttered open. "I'm-isn't it obvious?"

"But why didn't you come to me? I'm supposed to help you."

Zayn's hand stilled. "I didn't know if you wanted to do that. I didn't want to come to you already hard and overpower you."

Liam took off his shirt, feeling his body start to react to the smell. "I want to help you."

Zayn was about to argue, but Liam leaned forward and kissed him with a whispered request to let him help Zayn. "Okay," Zayn breathed as Liam pulled back. Zayn wiggled out of his pants and raised his arms as Liam pulled his shirt off. Zayn understood why it'd been so long, but seeing Liam naked before him for the first time in months made him that much more ready to go. Liam hovered on his knees over Zayn. Zayn kept eye contact as he slid his hand down his omega's chest and around to stretch him out. Liam whined as Zayn touched him. His body was reacting and he was trying to focus, but it was hard. Zayn paused, unsure if the noise was good or bad, but Liam rocked back, so Zayn pressed forward. 

"I'm ready, I'm ready," Liam mumbled. 

He closed his eyes and bit his lip as he sank down onto Zayn. Both of them moaned as Liam seated himself in Zayn's lap. His hands gripped Zayn's shoulders as he lifted himself up and brought himself slowly back down. "Fuck," Zayn hissed. His hand flew to Liam's hips, but Liam barely noticed. He wasn't fully in this encounter. He was focusing on getting Zayn off; he wasn't deserving. Zayn should get rid of him; he deserved someone better. Liam thrust himself down harder trying to dispel those thoughts. If Zayn had wanted to leave him, then he would have long ago. "So pretty, princess," Zayn murmured, his eyes dazed a bit. "Haven't felt this good in a long time." Liam let Zayn's words focus him on the task at hand. Zayn's knot was starting to swell. It was happening a lot faster than Liam remembered, but it had been a long time since they'd been intimate. With a particularly hard thrust down from Liam and a well timed thrust up from Zayn, his knot was buried inside Liam. Zayn closed his eyes and sighed in bliss, but Liam slumped forward, his head resting against Zayn's shoulder as hot tears began to roll down his cheeks. Zayn's bliss ended as soon as one of Liam's tears hit his shoulder. "Princess? What's wrong baby?" Zayn carefully looked over Liam's face before he looked over the rest of his body. His eyebrows rose slightly as he realized Liam was still hard. "Let me help you, princess." Zayn wrapped his hand around Liam's cock and brought his climax out of him in a couple of quick strokes. But instead of sighing in relief, the omega only began to cry harder. Zayn's concern overshadowed everything. "Are you alright, Liam? What's wrong? Am I hurting you?" Liam shook his head wildly as he tried to stop crying and talk. Zayn began to rub his shoulders, drawing Liam close to him so that the omega's head was once again on his shoulder.

"I had an orgasm after I was attacked."

Zayn's hands stilled in their rubbing of Liam's back. He held his breath waiting for Liam to continue. Zayn knew the fuzzy details of it all and what Tom had said to Liam, but he didn't know as much as he wanted to. (He knew this was probably better for his sanity, but he still wanted to know.) 

"It's okay if you don't want me any more. I'd understand," Liam mumbled. He tried to pull away from Zayn, but he hissed when he moved against the knot still tying them together.

"Why wouldn't I want you anymore?"

Liam hadn't been looking at Zayn when he'd spoken, but now he did and he was obviously confused. "Because I...you still want me?"

"Of course I do, princess. Why would you think otherwise?"

Liam rubbed his nose and sniffled. "I was dumb enough to go walking alone in the dark after everyone told me not to, and then I got attacked and lost the baby. I'm pretty sure you're annoyed by the fact that I keep having nightmares after it's all over. You don't want to touch me and I got off from a stranger taking advantage of me. I don't see any reason why you would want me." Liam lowered his eyes at the final sentence, terrified he'd see the truth Zayn was too nice to say.

"Liam, look at me." Liam raised his eyes to Zayn's. Zayn placed a gentle grip on his chin so that he couldn't move his head away. "I still want you. The fact that you climaxed after your attack is no indication that you liked it. Your body was stimulated and reacted naturally. It's not your fault. Remember this?" Zayn pressed his fingers on the white scar on Liam's neck causing the smaller boy to shudder and moan. "I love you, Liam. Nothing in this enitre world can change that. I'm not annoyed with you at night. I leave because I don't want you to get scared of having an alpha so close to you when you're still half-asleep. I want to touch you all the time. If I could, I'd never be any farther part than we are now. Obviously, being tied together and naked conflicts with the terribly inconvenient social standards we are both slaves to, but I'm hesitant because I don't know how you'll react. I just don't want to scare you. I want you, Liam. I love you, Liam."

Liam's eyes filled with a fresh round of tears and his bottom lip trembled. Zayn let go of his chin and pulled him into his chest again, tucking Liam's head beneath his chin. "I love you, too, Zayn. So much." Zayn kissed Liam's hair, breathing in his smell. "I don't want you to leave our bed in the middle of the night. I want you to touch me all the time. I don't think I'm ready for any, like, surprise touches or anything yet, but touch me please."

Zayn's knot was going down, but Zayn had an idea to completely ease Liam's worries forever. Zayn lifted Liam off his lap and carried him to their bedroom. He laid Liam on the bed. "Such a pretty little thing," he breathed as he hovered over Liam. His lips ghosted over Liam's cheeks, chin, and throat, paying extra attention to the mark. Zayn's lips moved to Liam's chest, down over his belly button, down his right leg and back up his left. He kissed at Liam's half hard cock and then returned to Liam's lips. "I love you, princess." Zayn slowly pushed himself into Liam again, earning a proper, choked moan from his omega. "Gonna take it slow, princess. Gonna show you how much you will always mean to me." True to his word, Zayn dragged his hips back slowly and pushed in even slower. Liam lazily lifted his hips to meet Zayn's for each thrust. Liam's legs and arms surrounded Zayn, drawing his alpha close to him again. Their lips met in a slow caress that didn't break until Zayn's knot was just slipping into Liam again. Liam's back arched as his body welcomed Zayn inside with a gasp that tilted his head back and bared his throat to his alpha. Zayn bit into the mark. Liam cried out as his body was overwhelmed by the second bite. He felt like he was high, floating above the world. Warm tingles spiraled through his body as the pleasure consumed him. Zayn hummed as he removed his teeth and licked at the mark. Liam's body melted into the bed beneath him, his eyes dazed and unfocused.

"I will always want you, Liam. Always and Forever." 

 


	15. Do It Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon everybody! Hope you slept well. Let me know what you think! Love hearing it all (good, bad, and ugly...well, maybe not the ugly...).

Zayn sat at his desk going over the last minute paperwork Principle Cowell had given him. It was a large stack and all mostly useless. His mind wandered back to this morning and he smiled. Liam had gotten up early to make them breakfast and was humming along to a song playing through his iPod. Liam always hummed; he never sang if he knew Zayn was going to be listening. Zayn would have to be extra quiet one time so he could listen, like when Liam had stapled papers and sang almost a year ago. Zayn glanced at the spot Liam had sat in then. He sort of wished--no--he definitely wanted Liam to be here with him. Liam had wanted to come, hung off of Zayn and begged this morning until Zayn tickled him into submission. He'd told Liam he'd be bored if he came today, but Liam had made a very good point that he was never bored with Zayn. Zayn didn't know why he'd not let Liam come with him today. Liam had been wearing only one of Zayn's t-shirt and his boxers this morning. He'd looked so good, so pretty, so sexy. Zayn groaned at the thought. He glanced at the table Liam had sat at to staple papers, and his mind conjured up a vision of Liam on his back, legs spread, no boxers. Pretend Liam had Zayn's t-shirt pushed under his armpits while his hands teased himself. "Fuck my life..."Zayn groaned...

Liam's hands shook hard as he tried to quickly lock the door. He grunted and made tiny noises as the keys fought him, but he shouted out with happiness as they fit and the locks slid into place. He dashed down the hall and banged on Harry's and Louis' door. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Liam muttered under his breath. 

"What is is?" 

"Oh, sorry, I..." Liam blushed and trailed off as a sleepy, naked Harry answered the door. "I need your help."

Harry rubbed his eyes. "Who?"

Liam knew what Harry meant. He was asking if Liam was being attacked or endangered by another person. He wasn't. "No, no. I'm fine. I want to go to school and surprise Zayn."

"Harry..." Liam heard Louis whine from further in the apartment. Footsteps approached and Liam cast his eyes to the floor-which proved to be a worse idea-as a disheveled, naked Louis appeared next to Harry. Liam squeezed his eyes shut. "Why's Liam here?"

Liam turned around. "Can you two put some clothes on?"

Harry looked down, seeming to realize that he and his mate were both naked. "Hmm...yeah, I guess. Come on in. It's silly to just stand out in the hall." 

Harry pulled Liam into his living room and left him alone in the room. Their apartment was much messier than Liam and Zayn's, though Liam had always been a bit of a neat freak and Zayn turned out to be the same way after they'd cleaned up from his seclusion. Liam set the pillows straight on the couch before he took a seat. Harry and Louis could do a bit of cleaning and their place would be lovely. It was obviously homey with worn furniture, lots of family pictures, and jackets thrown over the backs of chairs. There were unwashed dishes by the sink and last night's (at least that's what Liam's assuming) take out containers still on the table. Louis was the first to come out dressed. "What's up Liam?"

"Well, I have a surprise for Zayn and I wanted to tell him right away."

Louis was instantly interested. "What's the surprise?"

"I can't tell you yet," Liam said.

Louis pouted. "Why?"

"Because you have a hard time keeping secrets."

"I do not," Louis said with mock offense.

"You do," Harry said as he emerged from the back.

"I kept the welcome-home-Liam party a secret."

"Because your alpha told you to," Harry said. "If poor Liam tells you something, it'll be public knowledge before we even get into the car." Louis stuck his tongue out at his mate. "Do you want anything to eat?" Harry asked the omegas as he looked in their fridge. 

Louis gave him a funny look that he couldn't see. "Since when did we have anything to eat in there?"

"I thought you went grocery shopping," Harry said closing the fridge.

"Nope. Think back to when I was supposed to go grocery shopping," Louis prompted.

Harry thought for a moment, then, "Oh! Yeah." He got a dopey smile on his face that made Liam blush if he his assumptions about this face were correct. "And we didn't go later?" Harry asked Louis.

"No. We've been really busy what with those critics and things."

Harry nodded. "Sorry, Liam."

"It's okay. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Do I not get an apology?" Louis asked.

"It's your fault, babe. Let's go surprise Zayn."

Liam followed Louis and Harry down the stairs (upon Louis' insistence) and out to their car. The back seat was as messy as their apartment. Harry shoved everything back there to one side so that Liam had a place to sit. The three of them sang (well, Liam hummed) as they drove to the school. There were only a couple days left before the kids started. The teachers went back almost two weeks beforehand to set everything up. Liam told Harry he could just drop him off out front. Louis asked again what the surprise was, but Liam told him he'd know later. Louis made Liam promise before Harry drove away when Liam told him he could. Liam walked in and up the first flight of stairs he came to. He glanced at the room number he'd written on his hand so that he would be absolutely sure the room he went to was Zayn's. He could always sniff Zayn out, but if the door was closed or he was in a meeting, Liam would have a much harder time finding him like that, so the room number was his best bet. 

The door was open when he arrived. Emma Shawn was in there talking to Zayn who was leaning back in his chair and smiling at the girl sitting on one of his tables. Liam was momentarily reminded of his teacher-student fantasy. "Not now," he murmured to himself. He apparently wasn't as quiet as he'd thought, because both alphas turned to him. Under their eyes, Liam squirmed and dropped his eyes to the floor. He was vaguely aware of Emma saying goodbye and leaving, but he wasn't fully paying attention. He was slightly embarrassed and nervous. He'd forgotten exactly how he wanted to tell Zayn. 

Zayn stared at Liam, all thoughts of paperwork gone and the idea of Liam spread out on a table was even clearer than before. "Close the door, princess," Zayn said quietly. Liam stepped into the classroom and closed the door behind him. Zayn stood from the desk and stalked towards Liam. "What are you doing here?" he asked when he had Liam pressed against the door. He smirked down at Liam, loving the sight of his omega squirming.

"I-I-I had something exciting to tell you," Liam said looking up at Zayn.

Zayn's lips descended to touch lightly against Liam's temple. "What do you have to tell me?"

"I'm...I'm..." Zayn's lips were quite the distraction at the moment. 

"You're what, princess?"

"Pregnant."

Zayn's lips paused against Liam's cheeks. He pulled back slowly, staring in shock at Liam's flushed cheeks and bitten lips. "Really?" Liam nodded, the movement causing the door to tap lightly against the frame. Zayn's face broke into an enormous grin with a scrunched up nose and crinkled eyes. He picked Liam up and spun him around the room. "Oh, that's wonderful news! It's spectacular! It's phenomenal! It's the damn cat's meow!" Liam giggled as Zayn twirled them around the room spouting out big synonyms for wonderful. 

"Zayn! Zayn, I'm getting dizzy," Liam said as the room began to spin a bit faster.

Zayn placed Liam on the ground only to push him onto the table behind him. Liam was still giggling as Zayn loomed over him once again. "I'm so happy, princess. So, so happy. Can't wait to see my baby growing inside you. God, you're going to be even more fucking gorgeous." Zayn pressed his lips against Liam's as his hands slipped under Liam's shirt (though it was really Zayn's). Liam arched into the touch, his body quick to react and his legs spread as wide as he pants would let him. "How will I ever teach when the memory of you spread out on this table is going to be burned in my mind?"

"Just don't tell your students," Liam grunted, reaching to pull at the button on Zayn's pants. 

"Fuck. Forgot about them," Zayn murmured, but he didn't care. He'd be sure to wipe the table down if things got to messy, but he really wanted to do this now. He slid Liam's pants off and pushed the shirt up. His mind had done this exact picture a huge injustice. "Touch yourself, just for a bit," Zayn said, his voice raspy as his hands started pulling his pants off and unbuttoned his shirt. Liam's hand wrapped around his half-hard cock and his fingers pressed lightly around his entrance. Zayn began to touch himself, trying to get this exact image forever imprinted on his memory so his imagination could rectify it's wrong. Liam's hips started to press against his fingers wanting more than he was going to give himself. He started calling Zayn's name and begging him to do something, but Zayn wanted to watch for a bit longer. He wanted to see just how worked up Liam could get himself given the opportunity. "Give yourself a little more, princess." Liam slipped two fingers inside himself, which normally impressed Zayn, but they'd had a lovely roll around the bed this morning that Liam was still slightly stretched from. Liam's hand tightened around his cock and moved a bit fast as his fingers twisted, prodded, and scissored inside him. Liam was whimpering now, unable, or unwilling, to give himself more than he was already giving. "Alright, princess. I'm here. Let me take care of you." Zayn stepped between Liam's legs and pulled Liam's hands away from his body. Liam whined at the loss of all contact, but Zayn slid into him easily and the whine became a moan. The table rocked beneath Liam on squeaky legs as Zayn thrust into him. "Such a good boy," Zayn praised. "So beautiful, princess. Wish we could do this all the time. I'd keep you full of me all the time." Liam clawed at Zayn's back leaving red scratches in his wake. "Gonna look so fucking sexy knocked up, princess." Liam tightened around Zayn's cock at the words which drew a growl from Zayn. "So tight, princess, even after a good fuck this morning. Always so tight and wet for me." Liam tensed and then arched off the table as Zayn's words drove him over the edge. Zayn kept thrusting, drawing little gasps and cries from Liam and then a whine when he came, but didn't let his knot tie them together. Liam reached between them to squeeze at Zayn's knot which made Zayn's vision flicker as Liam prolonged his orgasm by squeezing. Zayn, though he really wanted to be as close to Liam as physically possible, tangled his hands with Liam's so that the squeezing would stop and he could, begrudgingly, get back to work. "So good, princess. Love you so much. We'll do it properly when we get home, okay?" Liam, still a little high from pleasure, nodded and hummed as Zayn's lips caressed his. "Love you, princess," Zayn murmured.

"Love you, Zayn."


	16. A Little Pink Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies! You all have been great! I've appreciated all the comments and kudos this story has gotten. It's funny when I think only two weeks. I honestly never thought this would be so well liked.
> 
> But enough of my rambling. Save that for the end.
> 
> Welcome to the final chapter of The Heat of the Moment!

Liam groaned and rolled over as much as he could, trying to get comfortable in the early morning. His movement was limited by the enormous size of his belly. At least, it seemed enormous when he was going by feel rather than sight. Zayn's soft snores stalled for a moment as Liam's movements disturbed his sleep momentarily. Liam had just gotten comfortable again when a more intense ache struck him. He was used to the body aches he'd come to associate with the baby, but this one was different. It was...

"Zayn," Liam hissed, reaching out to prod at Zayn's shoulders. "Zayn, get up." 

Zayn's snores stopped and he pushed himself up on his elbows. "What princess?" he asked sleepily. 

"I think..." The strange body ache faded and Liam instantly felt bad for waking Zayn. It wasn't what he'd thought it was. "Never mind. Sorry. I thought...you can go back to sleep."

Zayn rubbed his eyes. "I'm not going to sleep until you tell me what you thought was happening."

"I thought I was going into labor."

Instead of calming Zayn, Liam's confession made him more awake. "Really?" His voice showed all the excitement he was feeling and none of the secret dread. What if he wasn't actually as ready as he felt? What if he was a bad dad? What if his kid was ugly? What if he kid didn't like him? Zayn placed a hand over Liam's belly to calm both his mate and himself. 

"Yeah. Really, but I think it was just a stronger ache. Probably was sleeping on...everything wrong."

Zayn hummed. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I just want to go to sleep. What time is it anyway?"

Zayn rolled over and looked at the clock on his nightstand. "It's 4:30 in the morning," he answered with a yawn.

Liam grunted and closed his eyes. "Wake me up in a few more hours."

"I'll let you get yourself up. It's Saturday after all. We can both sleep in."

Zayn had just placed his head on his pillow, closed his eyes, and started snoring when Liam sat up with a gasp. Zayn was immediately alert and sitting up too. Liam threw the blankets off of him, a motion so big he accidentally hit Zayn. Liam felt the sheets around him and gasp again. "Zayn!" he cried.

"What, Liam, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. My water broke!"

All the calm, all the long night talks, all the baby books--it all left Zayn the instant the words fell from Liam's lips. Zayn scrambled from the bed, almost knocking over his lamp in an effort to turn it on so that they weren't in the dark. Liam moved slowly, gingerly out of bed. Zayn was tearing around the room trying to find clothes for both he and Liam while talking and telling Liam to stay calm and that he would take care of everything. Liam chose to intervene when Zayn tried to zip a jacket he'd already put on backwards. "Zayn, listen to me." Zayn paused in his attempts to zip the jacket. Liam was sure the air around Zayn was literally vibrating with his nervous energy. "First of all, you're jacket is on backwards." Zayn smiled shyly  and fixed the jacket, zipping it over the t-shirt he had on. "I need  _you_ to stay calm and take a deep breath. Then the bag is by the door and the keys are on the hook right next to the door. Grab those and I'll meet you by the door after I get dressed."

Zayn quickly crossed to Liam and kissed him. "I'm so excited," he whispered before he disappeared. 

Liam chuckled to himself and then had to concentrate hard as he tugged on the sweats he'd been wearing a lot since all of his pants didn't fit and he'd dismissed all the proper maternity pants as uncomfortable. He found one of Zayn's rumpled t-shirts that he'd also taken to wearing often because it smelled like Zayn and was only slightly snug around his large middle. Liam smiled as he glanced in the mirror on the back of their door. He couldn't honestly remember when he'd worn any of his own, personal clothes. Liam walked out to the door where a nervous, fidgeting Zayn stood. Liam linked his arm with Zayn's as they left the apartment. Another wave of uncomfortable aches spread through him as they rode the elevator down, and he had to wait a few moments before exiting the elevator and going to the car. Liam was definitely excited, but so many "what if"s ran through his head that it was starting to make him nauseous. He just wanted labor and delivery to go smoothly. The warnings and the possibilities explained in the baby books had taken a firm root in his head and he'd spent many sleepless nights preparing himself for the highly improbably, highly undesirable outcomes of childbirth. 

Two more aches had rolled over Liam on the way to the hospital. He was already debating whether or not he wanted to take some medicine to ease the birth. Most of the books he'd read said that he shouldn't be afraid of any harmful side effects, but a couple of the more...pro-natural books went into details about horrible things that happened because of the medicine. He'd asked Doniya about it. She'd had four kids already and was going to have a fifth within the next few months. She told him that she'd done a natural birth the first time and not the second, third, or fourth. She'd said while having a natural birth was an experience in and of itself, she'd been much happier and able to enjoy the other births more since she hadn't consciously fought the pain. Liam liked the idea of being able to enjoy it. 

Zayn had Liam sit down in the waiting room while he checked in with the nurse behind the desk. She smiled at Zayn, recognizing a first-timer as he stumbled over his words and kept glancing at Liam. She put in their information and called a nurse. Almost immediately, a small woman with a wheelchair walked in and called Liam's name. Liam sat in the chair and was aware of Zayn's presence following behind them as they were taken to a private room. "I didn't think we were going to have a private room," Liam said as the nurse brought the chair to a halt. 

She moved around the room saying, "Dr. Nagu called in a favor." Liam and Zayn smiled at each other. The nurse continued talking, "Liam, if you could put this gown on and then Dr. Manges will be in shortly. Will you be wanting an epidural?"

Liam looked to Zayn for an answer to a question he'd been asking himself the past few days. Zayn motioned for him to make the decision. "Yes, please."

The nurse smiled. "Alright. I'll be back in a few moments."

With her gone, Zayn helped Liam stand (though Liam tried to protest) and change into the gown. Another ache washed over Liam before he got settled on the edge of the bed. A knock on the door announced the return of the nurse and the arrival of Dr. Manges. Dr. Manges had been referred to them by Dr. Nagu. The boys had immediately taken to the aged beta doctor and he had been there to answer any and all of their questions whether at their appointments or a nervous call at three in the morning. "How are my favorite dads?" Dr. Manges asked.

"Excited," Zayn said.

"Nervous," Liam squeaked. 

"Both normal. Good. No need to worry about your mental states. Now when exactly did your water break, Liam?"

"Uh...like...a half hour ago. Zayn freaked out," Liam added with a chuckle.

Dr. Manges smiled. "Most first-timers do. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Liam grimaced as another ache washed over him. "Just get these aches every so often."

"We call those contractions. They'll get worse, but you said you wanted to have an epidural?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. Is that okay?"

Dr. Manges nodded. "It's perfectly harmless. Now why don't you lay down and I'll just check on everything down there, okay?" Liam shifted back on the bed and relaxed against the sort-of-scratchy sheets. It was disconcerting when Dr. Manges started talking from his spot between Liam's legs. "Dr. Nagu basically threatened my life if I didn't take care of you two. She told me Liam would be fine, but I'd need to keep my eye on Zayn. He gets a bit over-protective sometimes." Dr. Manges looked up at Zayn with a teasing smile. Zayn blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "The epidural will help you, Liam, but it might help Zayn a little more. He won't hear you in serious pain nor will he be under constant threats." The boys chuckled. "I've heard alphas, betas, and omegas alike threaten the lives of their mates so many times. Now I just try to listen for the most interesting, though over the years, there's only been a few true threat artists. You look good, Liam. I'll come back in a bit to see how you're doing. The nurse is going to hook you up to an IV and then we'll put the epidural in a little while, alright?" They both nodded as Dr. Manges stood and let the nurse hook Liam up to the IV. 

**THAT AFTERNOON...**

Liam cried out as he pushed one last time, the pressure he'd been feeling over the past, seemingly endless hours suddenly dissipated. A high pitched wail echoed in the room. "Would you like to cut the chord, Zayn?" Dr. Manges asked. Liam nodded at Zayn, telling him to go ahead and cut it. Zayn gingerly took the surgical scissors from Dr. Manges and cut the umbilical chord. Liam watched the nurses' movements like a hawk as they cleaned up his baby a bit and made sure everything was as it should be. Dr. Manges took a few moments to clean Liam up before standing up and cleaning himself up. Liam's legs relaxed down, the muscles twinging a bit at the movement, but Liam was barely aware of it, an effect of the epidural and the pressure of his baby on his chest. It was a baby girl, still messy from birth, but one of the smallest, most beautiful creatures Liam or Zayn had ever seen. Zayn leaned over his family, kissing Liam's forehead and cooing at his daughter. 

Dr. Manges stood opposite Zayn on the other side of the bed so he could speak quietly to the dads. "The nurses are going to clean her up a bit and do a quick physical, then you can hold her again. Do you have a name picked out?"

Zayn looked at Liam. "Yeah, we do," he said.

"Georgia Rose Malik," Liam said almost reverently.

Dr. Manges smiled. "Georgia is a pretty name." A nurse came over and took Georgia from Liam. Dr. Manges motioned for Zayn to follow her, the anxiety at the separation obvious in the alpha's eyes. Dr. Manges stayed by Liam who looked equally as anxious, but relieved that Zayn was with their daughter. "She's healthy and you're healthy. I'd say you all can go home in two days, okay?"

Liam nodded and then Zayn and their baby were returning. Georgia was swaddled in a white blanket and her head was covered by a pink knitted hat. Zayn, after a brief talk with Dr. Manges, pressed the button that raised Liam's bed into a sitting position and pulled up a chair next to his mate and their baby. Dr. Manges and the nurses left the new parents and their baby alone.

"She's so small," Liam said. Georgia's tiny mouth opened in a yawn and closed with a sigh. 

"Can I tell you something?" Zayn whispered.

"Of course," Liam said. Why would Zayn think he couldn't tell him something?

"I'm absolutely terrified," Zayn admitted with his eyes fixed on Georgia.

Liam smiled. "So am I."

"At least I'm not the only one," Zayn murmured.

"We can do it, though. I know we can. We sort of owe her."

Zayn chuckled. "In a manner of speaking."

**TWO DAYS LATER...**

Liam walked slowly towards the apartment with the baby carrier grasped tightly in his hands. Georgia was watching him with a weird emotion in her dark eyes. She was probably wondering why he was taking his sweet time, but he didn't want to break her. What if he tripped and dropped the baby carrier? What if he had to stop suddenly because of a car speeding through the parking lot?

"She'll be old enough to drive at the rate you're going!" Zayn teased. He'd gone ahead to open the doors for Liam, but he hadn't thought Liam would walk at a snail's pace. 

"Don't say that. I'm not ready for her to drive yet!" Liam shouted back. 

Zayn left the door and met his omega as Liam reached the halfway point of the parking lot. "You're not going to drop her with the grip you've got on the handle, princess. Trust yourself. That's what Dr. Manges told us." Zayn managed to get Liam to move at a decent pace and they were finally exiting the elevator and walking down the hall to their room. Zayn opened the door and ushered Liam inside. 

"Welcome home Georgia!"

Liam and Zayn beamed at the friends that had gathered to welcome home their baby. Liam held the carrier close as everyone came to see Georgia. She smiled and kicked her legs as everyone babbled and cooed at her. 

"She's beautiful," Doniya murmured to the beaming parents. "Always knew you two would be perfect for each other."

Zayn rolled his eyes. "I told you you were right, sis. No need to rub it in."

Doniya smiled and rubbed her own swollen belly. "I'm never going to let you forget this one, Zayn."

Mrs. Stanford was the next to greet them. She kissed their cheeks, cooed at the baby, and handed Zayn an envelope he tried to refuse but she insisted. Liam smiled and shook his head at his mate and his donor while he moved further in so he could hold Georgia on the couch properly. Louis and Harry took seats on either side of him, leaning in close to get a good look at Georgia. 

"She's gorgeous, just like her dads," Louis said. "Harry, I want one."

Harry and Liam chuckled, but the alpha agreed, "I want one too, Lou."

Zayn joined them, sitting across from Liam on the coffee table. "Liam and I have something to ask you two," Zayn said quietly as the other guests mingled around them. "Would you two like to be her godparents?" 

Harry and Louis both gasped. "Really?" Louis asked.

"Really, really," Liam said.

"But what about Doniya?" Harry asked.

"She's already a godmother," Zayn said. "We talked to her. She suggested we ask you two before we even got the question out."

Louis beamed at Georgia and Harry. Harry beamed back. "We'd be honored," he said.

"We're going to spoil her rotten," Louis declared.

Zayn and Liam laughed. "We wouldn't expect anything less," Zayn said...

After the party was all over, Zayn and Liam stood over Georgia's crib as she gurgled and kicked her legs at them. "She doesn't look tired," Liam murmured. 

"She napped all the way home."

"We're not ever going to sleep are we," Liam sighed.

"I don't see how we will. I don't want to leave her alone."

"We'll have to sleep sometime."

"Maybe when she's older," Zayn murmured. "Though we'll have a whole new set of worries to keep us up then." Zayn wrapped an arm around Liam's waist and pulled him close. Liam tucked himself into Zayn's side with his head under Zayn's chin. He nuzzled against Zayn's chest and looked down at their baby. Though she didn't know it, she already had her dads wrapped around her little finger. (Liam couldn't be sure that she didn't already know this by the gleam he thought he saw in her eyes.) "I love you Liam and Georgia. Always and forever."

"I love you Georgia and Zayn. Always and forever."

Georgia kicked her little legs and gurgled at them. They took that to mean  _I love you dads. Always and forever._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how much I enjoyed writing this little fic and how much your comments and kudos warmed my heart. Literally, your comments made my day and made me smile for the first time all day. Will forever be indebted to you! 
> 
> Leave your final thoughts and comments below! I'll read and reply to all of them. 
> 
> Goodbye for now my loves!
> 
> ~Mickey-D


End file.
